Design Concept for the Microwave Interrogation Structure in PARCS
Abstract
In this paper we will describe key aspects of the conceptual design of the microwave interrogation structure in the laser-cooled cesium frequency standard that is part of the Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS) experiment. The PARCS standard uses balls of cold atoms launched in a pulsed beam configuration. The microwave interrogation will take place in two independent high-Q (~20,000) cavities operated in the TE011 mode. The cavities will be operated off resonance by several line widths, with a resonant structure delivering the microwaves to the two cavities. One persistent problem related to the end-to-end phase shift has been the extreme temperature sensitivity of the phase inside the cavities to that just outside the cavities. The end-to-end phase difference must ultimately be known to around 3 microradians, and stable long enough to allow measurement of the shift as well as to allow normal clock operation. Operating the cavities off-resonance reduces this sensitivity more strongly than reducing the cavity Q.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA485087
Entities
People
- G. J. Dick
- Steven R. Jefferts
- T. P. Heavner
- W. M. Klipstein
Organizations
- California Institute of Technology