ABSTRACT
We report the evaluation of the residual phase difference deltaphi in a short (18 cm) Ramsey cavity by implementing the beam reversal technique to an optically pumped cesium beam clock. Deltaphi is measured to be 21 +/- 1.5 microrad, allowing a more accurate evaluation of the frequency performances of this small cesium clock. Finally, the clock accuracy is equal to 1.1 x 10(-13).
ABSTRACT
The short, optically pumped cesium beam tube developed at Laboratoire de l'Horloge Atomique has been carefully evaluated. For that purpose, we have developed a digital servo system that controls three parameters: the frequency of the ultra stable oscillator (USO), the microwave power of the signal experienced by the cesium atoms, and the static magnetic field applied to the atoms. The frequency standard shows a very satisfactory level of short- and medium-term frequency stabilities. A relative frequency offset, measured to be 4.10(-12 ), results mainly from the residual phase difference between the oscillatory fields in the two interaction regions, which is due to imperfection in cavity symmetry. We present two different means of analyzing the causes of this spurious frequency offset using theoretical and experimental considerations. First, a numerical simulation of the beam tube response is performed as a function of the microwave field amplitude for different values of the residual phase difference DeltaPhi. Results include the cavity-pulling effect. Compared with the measured frequency offset, the numerical simulation leads to a second-order Doppler shift of -3.3 mHz and a residual phase difference, DeltaPhi, between the fields interacting with the atoms in the second and first regions of the Ramsey cavity, amounting to +150 murad. Second, an experimental method of measurement of DeltaPhi without beam reversal is implemented. The latter yields DeltaPhi=155+/-17 murad. Finally, the clock accuracy is determined. It is equal to +/-14.10(-13).
ABSTRACT
This paper describes the software and equipment used at the Laboratoire Primaire du Temps et des Frequences du Bureau National de Metrologie (BNM-LPTF), Paris, France. Two H-masers in short baseline, one located at the BNM-LPTF and the other at the Laboratoire de l'Horloge Atomique du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS-LHA), Orsay, France, were computed in parallel with the BNM-LPTF software and with the BERNESE V 4.1 software. The comparison of the results issued from both computations shows an agreement within 100 ps (1 sigma). In addition, comparisons with the BNM-LPTF software were made over 10 days with the H-masers located at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Braunschweig, Germany, and another at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), Teddington, United Kingdom. The data collected show that a modulation with an amplitude of 50 ps and a period of 700-800 ps affects the equipment of the NPL. In addition, these comparisons show that the noise of the instruments together with the environmental conditions at the PTB was higher than that of the NPL and the BNM-LPTF during the observation period. The best relative frequency stability obtained, in the BNM-LPTF/NPL comparison, is about 3x10(-15) for averaging periods between 6x10(4) s and 3x10(5) s. This result is in good agreement with the expected stability of H-masers. It demonstrates that the noise brought by the GPS carrier phase measurements can be averaged out at this level.
ABSTRACT
In frequency standards in which the atoms have a continuous interaction with the probe signal, local oscillator phase noise may limit medium term frequency stability. This spurious effect cannot be suppressed whenever there Is any truncation in the spectrum of the resonator response. Nevertheless, a simultaneous processing of the probe signal, similar to that of the NIST, and of the resonator response (by means of an appropriate demodulation) makes it possible to reduce this limiting effect. Previously achieved with a square wave frequency modulation, this result is now extended to various frequency modulations. An uncontrolled distortion in the demodulation waveform may significantly degrade the performance. For the case of a square wave phase modulation, the limiting effect also exists, but it is smaller than for a frequency modulation. When the phase noise of the local oscillator is naturally "not flat", it is possible to easily reduce the spurious effect: using the quasi-static approximation, one can calculate various optimized demodulation waveforms and the corresponding improvements. For the simplest optimized demodulation (f (M), 3f(M)), theoretical predictions are experimentally confirmed for flicker phase noise and flicker frequency noise.
ABSTRACT
The optically pumped cesium beam clock named Cs IV is operated with a new short Ramsey cavity satisfying strict requirements on the microwave leakage level. The most relevant characteristics of the device are presented. Cs IV is presently driven by standard electronics coming from a HP 5061 B clock that provides a sinusoidal modulation of the interrogation microwave signal and a microwave power stability of about 1% at a temperature of 20+/-1 degrees C. The short- and medium-term frequency stability measurement gives sigma(y)(1 day)=2x10(-14): this value holds up to 3 days. The accuracy evaluation results in an uncertainty of 10(-12), and the repeatability is evaluated to 3x10(-13). It appears that the flicker floor is beginning at 2x10(-14) and is mainly due to both the power fluctuations of the free running microwave interrogating signal and the fluctuations of the external static magnetic field. The accuracy is limited by the lack of knowledge of the end-to-end cavity phase shift.
ABSTRACT
Assuming square wave frequency modulation, the response, versus the amplitude of the microwave field, of an optically pumped cesium beam tube is considered. The properties of the first maximum of this response are analyzed. The effect of the neighboring lines is taken into consideration, and a model of the profile of the microwave field in each interaction region is validated. A symmetry property of the response considered is pointed out. It enables us to implement a feedback control of the microwave amplitude with a large depth of the amplitude modulation. Residual frequency offsets that may occur as a consequence of a spurious amplitude modulation correlated with the frequency modulation are assessed. And, with a cavity designed such that sigma=pi between the two oscillatory fields, it also is possible to measure the microwave amplitude at the first maximum of the sole contribution of the reference atomic line.
ABSTRACT
The transient responses of an optically pumped cesium beam tube to square wave frequency and amplitude modulation is considered. The frequency transient is computed assuming a phase difference phi of either 0 or pi between the two oscillatory fields. We present theoretical and experimental data showing that, contrary to the frequency transient, the amplitude transient depends on the direction of switching. The knowledge of this property is useful for the design of the servo-loop controlling the amplitude of the microwave signal applied to the atomic resonator. A justification of this asymmetrical behavior is given. Experimental results confirm the theoretical predictions in the case phi=pi.
