Distortion of the Mercury 1S0-3P0 Clock Line in Two-species Atomic Clock

Determining the accuracy of an atomic clock is non-trivial. There are many effects that perturb the clock line transition, the impact of which is difficult to estimate. The use of a two-species atomic clock opens the possibility for a better determination of the clock line frequency due to the ability to use the second atomic species as a tool to determine the magnitude of the perturbation effect. On the other hand, the very nature of the composite system itself provides new systematic effects whose impact must be estimated. Therefore, before implementing a two-species atomic clock, it is desirable to perform diagnostics to determine if this is feasible.