POSSIBILITY OF ESTABLISHMENT OF A QUANTUM FREQUENCY STANDARD FOR THE VISIBLE RANGE USING AN INTERCOMBINATION SPECTRAL TRANSITION IN THE YTTERBIUM ATOM.
A comparative analysis is made of the characteristics of the 6**1S//0-6**3P//1 intercombination transition in the ytterbium atom with the characteristics of the corresponding n**1S//0-n**3P//1 transitions in alkaline earth atoms: magnesium, calcium, and strontium. It is suggested that the transition in the ytterbium atom can be used as a reference point for a quantum frequency standard in the visible range. 5 refs.