Verification and Optimization of the Physics Parameters of the Onboard Galileo Passive Hydrogen Maser

Qinghua Wang, Pierre Mosset, Fabien Droz, Pascal Rochat, Giovanni Busca

Abstract:	Atomic clocks represent critical equipment for a satellite navigation system. A Passive Hydrogen Maser (PHM), with its excellent frequency stability performance, has been chosen as the master clock in the Galileo navigation satellite payload, and will be the first one of its type ever to fly. Temex Neuchâtel Time is responsible for the industrialization of the Physics Package (PP) of the PHM and has been developing numbers for the PP, including Engineering Qualification, Qualification, Proto-Flight, and Flight Models in the frame of the Galileo Satellite Test Bed (GSTB-V2) and the In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase. This paper provides the verification results of PHM physics parameters, according to the measurement data and the theoretical analysis, for all the PPs produced up to now. A theoretical PHM physics model has been developed to extract inherent physics parameters (such as oscillation parameter, saturation factor, natural line width, various relaxation rates, and useful atomic flux) which cannot be measured directly, but are of great importance in order to evaluate the instrument performance.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 38th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting December 7 - 9, 2006 Hyatt Regency Reston Town Center Reston, Virginia
Pages:	81 - 94
Cite this article:	Wang, Qinghua, Mosset, Pierre, Droz, Fabien, Rochat, Pascal, Busca, Giovanni, "Verification and Optimization of the Physics Parameters of the Onboard Galileo Passive Hydrogen Maser," Proceedings of the 38th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Reston, Virginia, December 2006, pp. 81-94.
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