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IEEE photonics journal

Miniaturized Optical System for a Caesium Satellite-Borne Cold Atom Clock

Yating Wang, Meifeng Ye, Xiaojun Jiang, Yanling Meng, Lin Li, Gongxun Dong, Wangdi Qiu, Jing Wu, Yiming Miao, Zhu Zhu, Tang Li, Liang Liu, Qiuzhi Qu

Published Nov 8, 2022• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present a highly stable and miniaturised optical system designed for a caesium satellite-borne cold atom clock (CSCAC). The optical system was integrated on a$224\,{\mathop{\rm mm}\nolimits} \times 195\,{\mathop{\rm mm}\nolimits} \times 112\,{\mathop{\rm mm}\nolimits} $aluminium-based silicon carbide bench and emitted laser beams with four different frequencies on three fiber ports to capture, cool, prepare, and detect atoms. The optical system, utilizing a compact three-layer optical-mechanical and thermal management design, passed environmental simulation tests and adapted to a special satellite-borne environment. The optical system stability meets the laser requirements of the clock.

DOI
10.1109/jphot.2022.3220680

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We present a highly stable and miniaturised optical system designed for a caesium satellite-borne cold atom clock (CSCAC). The optical system was integrated on a224 mm×195 mm×112 mm224\,{\mathop{\rm mm}\nolimits} \times 195\,{\mathop{\rm mm}\nolimits} \times 112\,{\mathop{\rm mm}\nolimits} 224mm×195mm×112mmaluminium-based silicon carbide bench and emitted laser beams with four different frequencies on three fiber ports to capture, cool, prepare, and detect atoms. The optical system, utilizing a compact three-layer optical-mechanical and thermal management design, passed environmental simulation tests and adapted to a special satellite-borne environment. The optical system stability meets the laser requirements of the clock.
The technique of laser cooling of atoms gives an opportunity to improve the performance of atomic clocks by using laser-cooled atoms. The most successful cold atom clock, called the atomic fountain, is now widely used as the primary frequency standard in many labs. The cold atom clock for satellite applications, however, has not been reported so far due to special requirements of space applications. Here, we report the development of an engineering model of a satellite-borne cold atom clock, which satisfied all requirements of in-orbit operation. The core of the clock’s principle is the laser cooling of atoms by diffuse laser lights inside the microwave cavity. The structure of the physics package is presented, and its main parameters are also given. The principle and design of the optical bench are described. The initial test results are presented, and the possible improvements are also discussed.
We describe a highly reliable optical system designed for a rubidium space cold atom clock (SCAC), presenting its design, key technologies, and optical components. All of the optical and electronic components are integrated onto an optimized two-sided 300 mm×290 mm×30 mm optical bench. The compact optical structure and special thermal design ensure that the optical system can pass all of the space environmental qualification tests including both thermal vacuum and mechanical tests. To verify its performance, the optical system is carefully checked before and after each test. The results indicate that this optical system is suitably robust for the space applications for which the rubidium SCAC was built.
Highly stable atomic frequency standards are of increasing importance for a variety of space applications, ranging from communication to navigation and time transfer to tests of fundamental science. The requirements for an atomic clock vary significantly depending on the application, and for many space systems, compactness and robust design are at a premium, and stability dominates over absolute accuracy. We report on progress with our design for a compact laser-cooled Cs- beam atomic clock suitable for satellite applications such as GPS. The basic design features a continuous, cold atomic beam extracted from a magneto-optic trap (MOT). This cold atomic beam is then to be used in a laser-pumped Ramsey clock, with the clock signal derived from either a microwave C-field or, alternatively, by Raman resonance between the Ramsey fields. In order to reduce light shifts from the MOT light and improve signal-to-noise, the atomic beam will be optically deflected and transversely cooled upon extraction from the MOT. We estimate that the shot-noise-limited stability achievable with this physics package can be 2 to 3 orders of magnitude better than current Cs-beam clocks used in satellite applications. We present our experimental progress towards a working frequency standard, including characterization of our six-beam magneto-optic cold atom trap and production and characterization of a cold atomic beam.
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In this Letter, we describe an optical assembly that is designed for the engineering application of the atomic laser cooling techniques.Using a folded optical path scheme, we have built a miniaturized, compact magneto-optical trap (CMOT) for an 87 Rb atomic fountain clock.Compared with the conventional magneto-optical traps used in other clocks, our system is more robust, more compact, more stable, and saves about 60% laser power.This optical setup has operated for about a year in our fountain system, passed the thermal cycle tests and the mechanical vibration and shock tests, and maintained a high performance without a need for realignment.
We present a novel cesium beam physics package, which uses optical techniques to combine the high signal-to-noise ratios achievable by optical pumping and beam brightening with the narrow linewidth allowed by a slow atomic beam. Our design can be realized in a compact, robust package suitable for space applications. Our approach differs from other laser-cooled clocks in that we use a cold-atom source that provides a continuous beam. We estimate the shot noise-limited stability that can be achieved with this physics package to be two to three orders of magnitude better than that of current compact cesium beam atomic clocks.