ytterbium171

Ytterbium-171 (171Yb) is a stable isotope of the chemical element ytterbium, which has the atomic number 70. It possesses 70 protons and 101 neutrons, giving it a mass number of 171. It is one of seven stable isotopes of ytterbium that occur in natural samples, with its exact abundance varying between specimens.

In terms of nuclear structure, 171Yb has an odd number of neutrons and an even number of protons, resulting in a nuclear spin of I = 1/2. As a stable isotope, it does not undergo radioactive decay, and its half-life is effectively infinite on practical timescales. This simple spin property contributes to favorable hyperfine interactions in various atomic physics experiments.

Ytterbium-171 is especially important in precision metrology and quantum information science through its singly ionized form, 171Yb+. The ion offers a relatively simple level scheme due to the I = 1/2 nucleus, which makes hyperfine structure accessible for high-precision measurements. Consequently, 171Yb+ is a leading platform for atomic clocks and quantum information experiments, employing both microwave clock transitions in the ground state hyperfine levels and optical transitions used for cooling, state manipulation, and readout.

Applications of 171Yb extend to fundamental studies in spectroscopy and metrology, as well as practical research requiring stable isotopes with well-characterized nuclear spin. Its stability and favorable atomic structure continue to support advancements in timekeeping and quantum technologies.