Andrew K Kortyna

US Patent:

20220393691, Dec 8, 2022

Filed:

Mar 16, 2022

Appl. No.:

17/695986

Inventors:

- Boulder CO, US
Judith OLSON - Northglenn CO, US
Andrew KORTYNA - Boulder CO, US
Dina GENKINA - Hyattsville MD, US
Flavio CRUZ - Superior CO, US

International Classification:

H03L 7/26
G04F 5/14

Abstract:

A frequency-modulated spectrometry (FMS) output is used to stabilize an atomic clock by serving as an error signal to regulate the clock's oscillator frequency. Rubidium 87 atoms are localized within a hermetically sealed cell using an optical (e.g., magneto-optical) trap. The oscillator output is modulated by a sinusoidal radio frequency signal and the modulated signal is then frequency doubled to provide a modulated 788 nm probe signal. The probe signal excites the atoms, so they emit 775.8 nm fluorescence. A spectral filter is used to block 788 nm scatter from reaching a photodetector, but also blocks 775.8 nm fluorescence with an angle of incidence larger than 8 relative to a perpendicular to the spectral filter. The localized atoms lie within a conical volume defined by the 8 effective angle of incidence so an FMS output with a high signal-to-noise ratio is obtained.