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Towards a compact, optically interrogated, cold-atom microwave clock

  • Rachel Elvin EMAIL logo , Michael W. Wright , Ben Lewis , Brendan L. Keliehor , Alan Bregazzi , James P. McGilligan , Aidan S. Arnold , Paul F. Griffin und Erling Riis
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 7. September 2019
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Advanced Optical Technologies
Aus der Zeitschrift Advanced Optical Technologies Band 9 Heft 5

Abstract

A compact platform for cold atoms opens a range of exciting possibilities for portable, robust and accessible quantum sensors. In this work, we report on the development of a cold-atom microwave clock in a small package. Our work utilises the grating magneto-optical trap and high-contrast coherent population trapping in the lin⊥lin polarisation scheme. We optically probe the atomic ground-state splitting of cold 87Rb atoms using a Ramsey-like sequence whilst the atoms are in free-fall. We have measured a short-term fractional frequency stability of 5×10−11/τ with a projected quantum projection noise limit at the 10−13/τ level.

Keywords: atomic clock; coherent population trapping; cold atoms; CPT
Corresponding author: Rachel Elvin, SUPA, University of Strathclyde, G4 0NG Glasgow, UK,

Funding source: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Award Identifier / Grant number: EP/M013294/1

Award Identifier / Grant number: EP/T001046/1

Funding source: Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Award Identifier / Grant number: DSTLX1000138605

Acknowledgment

The authors gratefully thank Dr. Greg Hoth for his excellent work and support in driving the project.

  1. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  2. Research funding: The authors acknowledge financial support from EPSRC through the UK Quantum Technology Hub for Sensors and Metrology/Timing (EP/M013294/1, EP/T001046/1) and from the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTLX1000138605). The data supporting this publication can be accessed at: https://doi.org/10.15129/4e8355df-93df-4157-a0cb-44953ff3dd20.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

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Received: 2020-05-29
Accepted: 2020-07-07
Published Online: 2019-09-07
Published in Print: 2020-11-26

© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Community
  3. News
  4. Views
  5. Cold atom interferometry for inertial sensing in the field
  6. Quantum sensing with nanoparticles for gravimetry: when bigger is better
  7. Topical Issue: Applied Quantum Technologies; Guest Editors: Markus Krutzik, John Close, and Daniel Oi
  8. Editorial
  9. Answers for some of the biggest questions may be given by the very smallest
  10. Letters
  11. Probing Bloch oscillations using a slow-light sensor
  12. Optically pumped magnetometers enable a new level of biomagnetic measurements
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  14. Numeric estimation of resource requirements for a practical polarization-frame alignment scheme for quantum key distribution (QKD)
  15. Adaptive optics benefit for quantum key distribution uplink from ground to a satellite
  16. Fast and robust optically pumped cesium magnetometer
  17. Combining a quantum random number generator and quantum-resistant algorithms into the GnuGPG open-source software
  18. Towards a compact, optically interrogated, cold-atom microwave clock
  19. Atomic 2D electric field imaging of a Yagi–Uda antenna near-field using a portable Rydberg-atom probe and measurement instrument
  20. Review Article
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https://doi.org/10.1515/aot-2020-0022
Schlagwörter für diesen Artikel
atomic clock; coherent population trapping; cold atoms; CPT

Artikel in diesem Heft

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Community
  3. News
  4. Views
  5. Cold atom interferometry for inertial sensing in the field
  6. Quantum sensing with nanoparticles for gravimetry: when bigger is better
  7. Topical Issue: Applied Quantum Technologies; Guest Editors: Markus Krutzik, John Close, and Daniel Oi
  8. Editorial
  9. Answers for some of the biggest questions may be given by the very smallest
  10. Letters
  11. Probing Bloch oscillations using a slow-light sensor
  12. Optically pumped magnetometers enable a new level of biomagnetic measurements
  13. Research Articles
  14. Numeric estimation of resource requirements for a practical polarization-frame alignment scheme for quantum key distribution (QKD)
  15. Adaptive optics benefit for quantum key distribution uplink from ground to a satellite
  16. Fast and robust optically pumped cesium magnetometer
  17. Combining a quantum random number generator and quantum-resistant algorithms into the GnuGPG open-source software
  18. Towards a compact, optically interrogated, cold-atom microwave clock
  19. Atomic 2D electric field imaging of a Yagi–Uda antenna near-field using a portable Rydberg-atom probe and measurement instrument
  20. Review Article
  21. Transportable optical atomic clocks for use in out-of-the-lab environments
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