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Sixth Symposium on Novel Optoelectronic Detection Technology and Applications

The effect of RF excitation frequency on the spectrum characteristics of rubidium electrodeless lamp

Weiwei Wang, Lijun Du, Rongyan Zhang, Yansong Meng, Jun Xie

Published Apr 17, 2020• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Rubidium electrodeless lamp is one of the core components of rubidium atomic frequency standard. It plays the role of optical pumping and quantum state preparation, and realizes the particle number inversion between two ground states of rubidium atoms. The RF excitation frequency affects the effective light spectral distribution of rubidium electrodeless lamp, and then determines the pumping efficiency and the limiting frequency stability of rubidium atomic frequency standard. In this paper, the influence of RF excitation frequency on the spectral characteristics of rubidium electrodeless lamp can be optimized based on power compensation. It is found that there is a sensitive dependence between the heating rate and the excitation frequency of the rubidium electrodeless lamp, and the excitation frequency range corresponding to the turning point of the maximum heating rate was given experimentally. When the input power and the bubble wall temperature remain unchanged and the rubidium electrodeless lamp is in the ring-mode state, the spectral characteristics have a depression at the optimum resonance frequency. Therefore, the excitation frequency of the rubidium electrodeless lamp should be properly pulled to 5~9 MHz from the optimum resonant point, which can optimize the spectral characteristics of the rubidium electrodeless lamp and can improve the frequency stability of the rubidium atomic clock.

DOI
10.1117/12.2563616

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Rubidium electrodeless lamp is one of the core components of rubidium atomic frequency standard. It plays the role of optical pumping and quantum state preparation, and realizes the particle number inversion between two ground states of rubidium atoms. The RF excitation frequency affects the effective light spectral distribution of rubidium electrodeless lamp, and then determines the pumping efficiency and the limiting frequency stability of rubidium atomic frequency standard. In this paper, the influence of RF excitation frequency on the spectral characteristics of rubidium electrodeless lamp can be optimized based on power compensation. It is found that there is a sensitive dependence between the heating rate and the excitation frequency of the rubidium electrodeless lamp, and the excitation frequency range corresponding to the turning point of the maximum heating rate was given experimentally. When the input power and the bubble wall temperature remain unchanged and the rubidium electrodeless lamp is in the ring-mode state, the spectral characteristics have a depression at the optimum resonance frequency. Therefore, the excitation frequency of the rubidium electrodeless lamp should be properly pulled to 5~9 MHz from the optimum resonant point, which can optimize the spectral characteristics of the rubidium electrodeless lamp and can improve the frequency stability of the rubidium atomic clock.
Rb lamp is a very critical component of the Rb atomic clock’s Physics Package. The Rb lamp’s performance is very sensitive to temperature and its stability. In this paper we discuss the behaviors of Rb Lamp with temperature. The Rb lamp exciter power and temperature of Rb bulb are very important parameters in controlling the performance of the Rb Lamp. It is observed that at temperatures beyond 110° C, the lamp mode changes from the ring to red mode resulting in abnormal broadening of emission lines and self reversal. The results of our studies on spectral analysis of Rb lamp under various operating conditions are reported in the paper.
Since the 1960s, alkali-based RF discharge lamps have been used as frequency-stable light sources due to their reliable performance [1]. However, it is often reported that rubidium (Rb) lamp-based standards suffer from lamp-related frequency ageing phenomena such as light-shift effects [2], [3]. To understand this behaviour, we are characterising a commercial Rb-based RF discharge lamp over extended periods and will present an analysis of data collected so far. Electrical and optical measurements on a Rb lamp are presented here after about 40 days of monitoring. The output of the lamp was coupled into an optical fibre to observe its emitted light characteristics with an optical spectrum analyser. Optical spectra results indicated that the lamp had substantial buffer gas content. The lamp spectra exhibited various buffer gas excitation lines as well as strong Rb excitation lines of 780.0 nm (D2 line) and 794.8 nm (D1 line). Subsequently, the lamp was monitored for output optical power, temperature, and electric current dynamics in a laboratory environment. During monitoring, sudden changes in light output were observed along with longer term trends. From previous studies, we can expect that temporal changes in the light intensity of the lamps may lead to observable frequency fluctuations in an atomic clock [4].
Rubidium spectral lamp is one of the critical parts in a rubidium atomic frequency standard (RAFS). The light emitted from the spectral lamp contains two components, one is the useful component, which contributes to the atomic transition signal, and the other is the useless component, which acts only as the light noise. In order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the frequency locking loop of a RAFS, and therefore to obtain a highly stable RAFS, it's very important to enhance the useful light component and suppress the useless component. In the present work the light spectra of the three commonly used rubidium spectrum lamps with bulbs separately filled with buffer gases argon, krypton and xenon were obtained by means of a monochromator. The spectra were analyzed and the methods to enhance useful light intensity and reduce useless light intensity were discussed. Results showed that the useful light intensity strongly depends on the types of buffer gases and the bulb temperature. In the whole range of bulb temperature, the Xe lamp had the highest useful light intensity among the three lamps. The Kr lamp showed a higher useful light intensity than the Ar lamp at low bulb temperature, while at high bulb temperature the Ar lamp showed a higher useful light intensity than the Kr lamp. Analysis also indicates that the light noise of a rubidium spectrum lamp can be effectively minimized by adopting suitable light filtering technique.
Summary This paper presents a theoretical evaluation of the performance of passive Rb frequency standard operated under various modes of microwave excitation such as TEOll, TElll or TElO1. Assuming that the pumping light is generated by an electrodeless lamp and taking into account the inhomogeneity of the atomic system the spatial distribution of the light transmftted through the absorption cell is found. The resonance curve, given by the integral of the light intensity over the photodetector surface as function of microwave excitation frequency, is then calculated. It is shown that the resonance curve pattern depends not only on the light intensity and the microwave power when the atomic system parameters are held constant but also on the area and the location of the photodetector. The ultimate short term frequency stability of a passive rubidium frequency standard is evaluated through its white frequency noise. This noise contribution can be estimated from the resonance curve and the system parameters. It is presented as function of light intensity and microwave power for various photodetectors and for the three modes of microwave excitation considered. These curves show that optimization of the short term frequency stability could be achieved and give insight toward its realization.
We mainly report the 728.0 nm transition between 7S 1/2 and 5P 1/2 laser spectroscopy of an electrodeless discharge Rb vapor lamp, which is the clock transition of a potential four-level active optical clock, once laser cooled and trapped Rb atoms are pumped by 359.2 nm laser. To realize this proposition, we study the linewidth and absorption characteristics of the 728.0 nm laser absorption spectrum of a rubidium electrodeless discharge vapor lamp with varying lamp temperature and rf driving power respectively, measured by an external cavity diode laser in a Littrow configuration. The measured 728.0 nm spectrum of a glass cell filled with Rb and Ar buffer gases in the electrodeless discharge Rb lamp based Faraday filter stabilized laser can be a heterodyne comparison reference for the weak power output of a possible cold Rb four-level active optical clock at 728.0 nm clock transition with laser cooled and trapped atoms. To the best of our knowledge, there has not been any research reported on Rb 728.0 nm laser spectroscopy in detail.
Mercury spectrum lamp is an important part of Mercury Atomic Frequency Standard (MAFS), which is used for light pumping and state detection. It may limit the stability and the signal-to-noise ratio performance in MAFS. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate mercury spectrum lamp can work under an optimum mode by controlling the cold end temperature of the lamp. It is found the maximum radiation intensity at 194[Formula: see text]nm and the minimal 254[Formula: see text]nm/194[Formula: see text]nm ratio can be achieved simultaneously at about 55∘C. The minimal 254[Formula: see text]nm/194[Formula: see text]nm is about 24, which is an order of magnitude lower than the case in common. Meanwhile, the effect of RF excitation power on 254[Formula: see text]nm/194[Formula: see text]nm ratio and the self-absorption phenomenon of 254[Formula: see text]nm are also investigated. The result demonstrates RF excitation power has a stronger influence on the light intensity of 194[Formula: see text]nm than on that of 254[Formula: see text]nm. These experimental results could shed light on later fluorescence detection experiment in MAFS and other lamp-based applications.