Joint Conference of the European Frequency and Time Forum and IEEE International Frequency Control Symposium (EFTF/IFCS)
Laser-cooled Rb clock
Chad Fertig, Jérémie Bouttier, Kurt Gibble
Abstract
We demonstrate a prototype of a laser-cooled /sup 87/Rb fountain clock and measure the frequency shift due to cold collisions. The shift is fractionally 30 times smaller than that in a laser-cooled Cs clock. We observe a density dependent pulling by the microwave cavity and use it to cancel the collision shift. We have also demonstrated a juggling atomic fountain to study cold collisions and we discuss the importance of juggling for future fountain clocks.