A Space Rubidium Pulsed Optical Pumped Clock - Current Status, Results, and Future Activities

Marco Belloni, A. Battisti, A. Cosentino, A. Sapia, A. Borella, S. Micalizio, A. Godone, F. Levi, C. Calosso, L. Zuliani, F. Longo, and M. Donati

Abstract:	Since the year 2000, Selex Galileo activity on Space Frequency Standards has been pursuing the development of a Passive Hydrogen Maser (PHM), presently the primary clock of the Galileo Navigation Constellation. A consortium has been established in 2007 with one of the best scientific laboratories in the European Time-Frequency community: the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica – INRiM (I) in order to demonstrate that the POP technique is suitable for space applications. The name of the project, Maser POP, comes from a very promising technique studied and refined by INRiM in order to achieve performance close to that of a passive hydrogen maser, but with dimensions and power consumption closer to a rubidium clock. Under an Italian Space Agency ASI contract, a feasibility study has been completed in 2008 concerning the manufacture of a clock breadboard and the preliminary design of the three units composing the clock: Space Physics Unit, Optical Unit, and Electronic Unit. This paper summarizes the outcome of this study in terms of Breadboard (BB) results (where a frequency stability on the order of 1.2×10-12t-0.5has been measured) and the critical areas that shall be correctly addressed for the project objective’s full achievement. The development plan of the Maser POP is presented together with an overview of expected characteristics, in terms of mass and power consumption, realistically optimized taking into account the needs of the space market. A preliminary schedule is also presented concerning future acivities aiming at thedevelopment of an Engineering Model (EM). This plan includes the qualification of the clockagainst the Galileo environmental requirements. Also, these further activities will be supported by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) in the frame of the Space Atomic Clock Development program.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 41st Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting November 16 - 19, 2009 Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico
Pages:	519 - 530
Cite this article:	Belloni, Marco, Battisti, A., Cosentino, A., Sapia, A., Borella, A., Micalizio, S., Godone, A., Levi, F., Calosso, C., Zuliani, L., Longo, F., Donati, M., "A Space Rubidium Pulsed Optical Pumped Clock - Current Status, Results, and Future Activities," Proceedings of the 41st Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, November 2009, pp. 519-530.
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