Characterization of the USNO Cesium Fountain

Abstract

We have performed an initial characterization of the stability of the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) cesium fountain atomic clock. This device has a short-term fractional frequency stability of up to 1.5 x 10(-13) tau (-1/2). This short-term performance enables us to measure hydrogen maser behavior over the short to medium term. We have recently implemented real time steering of a hydrogen maser with the fountain. Over a period of roughly 9 days of continuous operation, we have steered out the drift of a cavity tuned maser.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADA593074

Entities

People

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

Organizations

  • United States Naval Observatory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atomic Beam Masers
  • Clocks
  • Data Sets
  • Detection
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Standards
  • Hydrogen
  • Laser Beams
  • Lasers
  • Masers
  • Measurement
  • Microwave Frequency
  • Microwaves
  • Noise
  • Standards
  • Vacuum Chambers
  • White Noise

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.