Low temperature atomic small primary standard

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce size and power consumption of a primary frequency standard.;SOLUTION: An atomic clock includes a physics package that includes a vacuum chamber cavity that holds atoms of Rb-87 under high vacuum conditions and an optical bench having a single laser light source, a local oscillator, a plurality of magnetic field coils, an antenna, at least one photo-detector and an integrated control electronic circuit. The single laser light source includes a foldback retroreflective design to create three retroreflective optical beams that cross at an angle of 90° relative to one another in the vacuum chamber cavity. This design allows the single laser light source to make the required six trapping beams needed to trap and cool the atoms of Rb-87. The foregoing design enables atomic clocks reducing size and power consumption and maintaining ultra-high vacuum without active pumping.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT