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Quantum Electronics

Use of cold cesium atoms in quantum frequency standards

Yurii S Domnin, G. A. Elkin, A. V. Novoselov, V. N. Baryshev, Leonid N Kopylov, Yurii M Malyshev, Vitalii G Pal'chikov

Published Dec 31, 2004• 7 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The results of studies devoted to the development of a new generation quantum frequency standard, a cesium fountain, are presented. The experimental data obtained upon manipulation and detection of cold atoms are analysed. The cooling of cesium atoms down to about 2 μK is demonstrated experimentally. The populations of hyperfine-structure components of cesium atoms are calculated by the method of adiabatic passage for different microwave pulses.

DOI
10.1070/qe2004v034n12abeh002749

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Europhysics Letters (EPL)•Oct 1, 1996•88 citations
The results of studies devoted to the development of a new generation quantum frequency standard, a cesium fountain, are presented. The experimental data obtained upon manipulation and detection of cold atoms are analysed. The cooling of cesium atoms down to about 2 μK is demonstrated experimentally. The populations of hyperfine-structure components of cesium atoms are calculated by the method of adiabatic passage for different microwave pulses.
We have demonstrated the possibility for a compact frequency standard based on a sample of cold cesium atoms. In a cylindrical microwave cavity, the atoms are cooled and interrogated during a free expansion and then detected. The operation of this experiment is different from conventional atomic fountains, since all the steps are sequentially performed in the same position of space. In this paper we report the analysis of a Ramsey pattern observed to present a 47 Hz linewidth and a stability of 5x10^-13 for an integration time longer than 100s. Some of the main limitations of the standard are analyzed. This present report demonstrates considerable improvement of our previous work (S. T. Muller et al, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B, v.25, p.909, 2008) where the atoms were in a free space and not inside a microwave cavity.
The accelerated development of laser methods for manipulating the internal state and motion of atoms, and the recent primary evaluation in France of a cesium frequency standard using cold atoms in an atomic fountain configuration, allow the frontiers of time metrology, accuracy, and stability to be pushed near parts in the 1016 level, a factor of 100 over the present primary laboratory clocks. These positive results revived the development of more accurate cesium atomic clocks, and the Institute of National Measurement Standards (INMS), of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is undertaking a cesium-fountain project aimed at reaching these new levels of accuracy and stability. This paper reviews its present status. To appreciate the considerable impact of cold atoms in time and frequency metrology, we begin by recalling the background principles of traditional cesium frequency standards, their typical performance and main limitations. After introducing the important theoretical results essential to understanding the techniques of laser cooling and magneto-optical trapping, we focus on describing the characterization and control of our magneto-optical trap (MOT) and report the parameters that allow us to fill the trap with a few million atoms in less than a second and cool them to a temperature lower than 5 muK using optical molasses. We will describe the specifics of our cesium-fountain prototype, which operates with a 2-dimensional moving molasses. This special configuration is applicable for multipulse operation of the fountain, which can greatly relax the local oscillator requirements for time keeping. Finally, progress toward our objective of launching cooled atoms, at a rate of one ensemble per second, at speeds of 7 m/s, for a fountain with an interrogation time of about 1 s, will be analysed.PACS Nos.: 06.20, 06.30, and 32.80P
Cesium atomic fountain clock is the quantum frequency standard with very high accuracy. Research on laser cooling and trapping of cesium atom at Peking University began in 1993. A cesium atomic fountain frequency standard is being developed. A magneto-optical trap with some 108 trapped atoms and an optical molasses with the cold atoms of the temperature of 10/spl mu/K have been achieved previously. The device has been carefully designed and is under construction. It is composed of two main parts: vacuum system and laser system. The article describes the apparatus and presents a brief introduction to some considerations on the atomic clock.
We have demonstrated the possibility for a compact frequency standard based on a sample of cold cesium atoms. In a cylindrical microwave cavity, the atoms are cooled and interrogated during a free expansion and then detected. The operation of this experiment is different from conventional atomic fountains since all the steps are sequentially performed in the same position of space. In this paper we report the analysis of a Ramsey pattern observed to present a (47±5) Hz linewidth and a stability of (5±0.5)x10−13τ−1/2 for an integration time longer than 100 s. Some of the main limitations of the standard are analyzed. This present report demonstrates considerable improvement of our previous work [J. Opt. Soc. Am. B25, 909 (2008)JOBPDE0740-322410.1364/JOSAB.25.000909] where the atoms were in a free space and not inside a microwave cavity.
The spin-exchange frequency shift due to cold collisions between ground-state atoms appears to be the systematic effect which could limit the accuracy of a laser-cooled cesium fountain operating as a frequency standard. We have investigated this shift for atoms distributed among all the Zeeman substates of either the F = 4 or F = 3 hyperfine level of the 6 S 1/2 ground state of cesium and for the case where most of the atoms are prepared in F = 3, M F = 0 sublevel. The measured relative frequency shifts are respectively − 1.0·10 −21 , − 0.6·10 −21 and − 2.0·10 −21 (at/cm 3 ) −1 . These results agree with the measurements performed by Gibble and Chu at higher atom densities with atoms prepared in F = 3, M F = 0 sublevel. However, the precision of our frequency measurements is much better and is only limited at 2·10 −15 by the H-maser used as a reference oscillator. Finally, we show that the relative frequency shift due to cold collisions can be reduced to 10 −15 , while preserving a short-term frequency stability of about 10 −13 τ −1/2 .