GLACE: a technology demonstration experiment for laser cooled atomic clocks in space
William M. Klipstein, James M. Kohel, David J. Seidel +3 more
Summary form only given. The long observation times afforded by laser cooling of neutral atoms ushered in a new era of accuracy and stability for cesium atomic clocks. Traditional thermal beam atomic clocks are limited to interaction times of only a few milliseconds, while with laser cooling times of order 1 second have been realized with high stability. Most laser cooled clocks use a "fountain" geometry, in which the atoms are thrown up against the pull of gravity and realize longer times before falling back to the bottom of the apparatus. We have been developing a laser-cooling apparatus for flight on the International Space Station (ISS), with the intention of demonstrating linewidths of the cesium clock transition narrower than can be realized on the ground.
Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference•Jan 20, 2003•0 citations