A Complex Permeability Model of rf-Discharge Lamps

J. Camparo, F. Wang, W. Lybarger, Y. Chan

Abstract:	The rf-discharge lamp of the Rb vapor-cell clock and Hg ion-trap clock are arguably one of the most important elements in these clocks’ physics packages: their efficiency for optical pumping determines the amplitude of the atomic clock signal, and variations in their brightness and spectrum can affect the clock frequency through the light-shift effect. Nevertheless, though the technology of rf-discharge lamps traces back to the early decades of the 20th century, they remain one of the least well understood components of an atomic clock’s physics package. Focusing on the Rb rf-discharge lamp, we show that a true understanding of the lamp’s operation requires a merged understanding of the lamp’s electrical and plasma characteristics. Here, we discuss how this can be accomplished by considering the discharge as a complex permeability medium, whose parameters are defined by the atomic physics of the Rb plasma.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 45th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting December 2 - 5, 2013 Hyatt Regency Bellevue Bellevue, Washington
Pages:	62 - 68
Cite this article:	Camparo, J., Wang, F., Lybarger, W., Chan, Y., "A Complex Permeability Model of rf-Discharge Lamps," Proceedings of the 45th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Bellevue, Washington, December 2013, pp. 62-68.
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