Cold Atom Micro Primary Standard (CAMPS)

Jennifer Sebby-Strabley, Kenneth Salit, Karl Nelson, Jeff Ridley, and Jeff Kriz

Abstract:	We present the progress towards developing a primary frequency standard with substantial reduction in size, weight, and power over the state of the art. Our clock is based on the microwave hyperfine transition in Rubidium-87. Unique to this effort, our focus is on special design considerations and engineering trades to realize a primary frequency standard in an ultimate 5 cc form-factor, 50mW power consumption, and compatible with a high volume, robust manufacturing process. In our approach, atoms are laser cooled from a background vapor into a magneto-optical trap. The magnetic and optical trapping forces are extinguished, allowing the atoms to freely expand, and Ramsey spectroscopy is performed to measure the clock transition between the F=1 and F=2 hyperfine states. Key to size reduction is the use of laser cooled atoms to achieve narrow linewidths in a small size, and the ability to perform all the clock functions: sample preparation, spectroscopy, and read-out, in one physical location. Using a miniaturized physics package, signal-to-noise ratio greater than 100 and clock line quality factors greater than 1E8 have been achieved. Limiting factors and prospects for improvement will be discussed.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting November 14 - 17, 2011 Hyatt Regency Long Beach Long Beach, California
Pages:	231 - 238
Cite this article:	Sebby-Strabley, Jennifer, Salit, Kenneth, Nelson, Karl, Ridley, Jeff, Kriz, Jeff, "Cold Atom Micro Primary Standard (CAMPS)," Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Long Beach, California, November 2011, pp. 231-238.
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