Microwave Pulse-Coherent Technique-Based Clock With a Novel Magnetron-Type Cavity.

Area of Science:

• Atomic Physics
• Metrology
• Quantum Optics

Background:

• Atomic clocks are crucial for precise timekeeping.
• Pulsed optically pumped (POP) clocks offer advantages in stability and performance.
• Developing compact and efficient microwave cavities is key for miniaturization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report a high-performance POP Rubidium (Rb) clock.
• To investigate a novel magnetron-type microwave cavity for improved performance.
• To analyze the clock's frequency stability and limitations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a novel magnetron-type microwave cavity with a 30 mL volume.
• Employed laser frequency tuning to the D2 line's ground-state hyperfine level F=2.
• Measured Ramsey fringe contrast using optical absorption detection.
• Assessed clock frequency stability over 1-100 seconds.

Main Results:

• Achieved a Ramsey fringe contrast of 52% via optical absorption.
• Estimated the shot noise limit to be [Formula: see text].
• Measured a clock frequency stability of [Formula: see text] (1-100 s).

Conclusions:

• The novel magnetron-type cavity enables highly homogenous microwave field distribution.
• The POP Rb clock exhibits high performance, with stability limited by light intensity noise.
• This work contributes to the development of advanced atomic clock technologies.