Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 15, 2026
12:22
Optimization, Test and Diagnostics of Miniaturized Hall Thrusters
Published on: February 16, 2019
9.7K
Research on a Miniaturized Digital Servo System for Passive Hydrogen Masers
Siyuan Guo1,2, Meng Cao1, Pengfei Chen2
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 14, 2026
Summary
This study presents a compact digital servo system for Passive Hydrogen Masers (PHMs) using software-defined radio and FPGAs. The new design enhances frequency stability for critical space applications.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Engineering
- Space Science
Background:
- Conventional Passive Hydrogen Maser (PHM) servo electronics are bulky, power-hungry, and lack integration.
- High-precision time and frequency standards are crucial for satellite navigation, deep-space exploration, and space science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a miniaturized, highly integrated digital servo architecture for PHMs.
- To overcome the limitations of traditional analog servo systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilized software-defined radio (SDR) and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) for digital servo implementation.
- Employed an integrated RF front-end (AD9364) for signal generation, down-conversion, and ADC.
- Implemented a dual-frequency interrogation scheme and oversampling-based signal processing with outlier rejection.
Main Results:
- Achieved stable closed-loop locking of the atomic transition spectrum.
- Demonstrated a frequency stability of 1.46 × 10-12 at 1 second.
- Significantly improved the compactness and integration level of the servo electronics.
Conclusions:
- The proposed digital servo architecture offers a viable solution for miniaturizing PHM systems.
- This advancement supports the development of more robust and compact frequency references for space missions.
- The digital approach enhances performance and integration compared to traditional analog methods.
