Preliminary Results from the USNO Atomic Fountain Development Project

Abstract

Atomic fountain clocks are emerging as an important new technology for the realization of extremely precise passive atomic standards. The U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) has undertaken a project to develop atomic fountains for eventual incorporation into the USNO Master Clock. We have recently demonstrated short-term stability of 2 x 10(exp -13) at 1 second with white frequency behavior into the mid 10(exp -15) in our first cesium R&D device. We report on these results and hope to have frequency measurements relative to internal timescales at the USNO. We also discuss plans for more heavily engineered operational devices and their incorporation into the USNO Master Clock.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2000
Accession Number
ADA485091

Entities

People

  • Christopher R. Ekstrom
  • Eric A. Burt
  • Thomas B. Swanson

Organizations

  • United States Naval Observatory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Atomic Beam Masers
  • Clocks
  • Control Systems
  • Detection
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Standards
  • Laser Beams
  • Lasers
  • Local Oscillators
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Measurement
  • Optical Lattices
  • Radiation Pressure
  • Standards
  • Time Intervals
  • Vacuum Chambers

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics.
  • Quantum spin resonance or Electron Paramagnetic Resonance spectroscopy.
  • Systems Analysis and Design