Towards a Coherent-Population-Trapping Atomic Clock beyond the Standard Quantum Limit

Michael Crescimanno

François-Xavier Esnault, E. Blanshan, Eugene N. Ivanov +3 more

Miniature atomic clocks based on coherent population trapping (CPT) states in thermal atoms are an important component in many field applications, particularly where satellite frequency standards are not accessible. Cold-atom CPT clocks promise improved accuracy and stability over existing commercial technologies. Here we demonstrate a cold-atom CPT clock based on ${}^{87}$Rb using a high-contrast double-$\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration. Doppler frequency shifts are explained using a simple model and canceled by interrogating the atoms with counterpropagating light beams. We realize a compact cold-atom CPT clock with a fractional frequency stability of $4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}11}{\ensuremath{\tau}}^{\ensuremath{-}1/2}$, thus demonstrating the potential of these devices. We also show that the long-term stability is currently limited by the second-order Zeeman shift to $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ at 1000 s.

François Tricot, Peter Yun, Stéphane Guérandel +1 more

Sinda Mejri, François Tricot, Jean-Marie Danet +3 more

Toward the next generation of compact devices, atomic clocks based on coherent population trapping (CPT) offer a very interesting alternative. We present a review of our studies on the short and mid term stability of a compact high performance atomic clock based on CPT in view of portable applications.

Jaques Vanier

Vladan Vuletić