Optical Lattice Clocks with Weakly Bound Molecules

Optical molecular clocks promise unparalleled sensitivity to the temporal variation of the electron-to-proton mass ratio and insight into possible new physics beyond the standard model. We propose to realize a molecular clock with bosonic ¹⁷⁴Yb₂ molecules, where the forbidden ¹S₀→³P₀ clock transition would be induced magnetically. The use of a bosonic species avoids possible complications due to the hyperfine structure present in fermionic species. While direct clock line photoassociation would be challenging, weakly bound ground state molecules could be produced by stimulated Raman adiabatic passage and used instead. The recent scattering measurements [L. Franchi, et al. New J. Phys. 19, 103037 (2017)NJOPFM1367-263010.1088/1367-2630/aa8fb4] enable us to determine the positions of target ¹S₀+³P₀ vibrational levels and calculate the Franck-Condon factors for clock transitions between ground and excited molecular states. The resulting magnetically induced Rabi frequencies are similar to those for atoms hinting that an experimental realization is feasible. A successful observation could pave the way towards Hz-level molecular spectroscopy.