NIST Cesium Fountains - Current Status and Future Prospects

• Authors: S. Jefferts , T. Heavner , T. Parker , J. Shirley
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

We review the current status of the U.S. Primary Frequency Standard, NIST-F1. NIST-F1 is a laser-cooled cesium fountain based frequency standard with an inaccuracy of less thanδ f/f<5×10^{-16}; limited mainly by the radiation field in the room-temperature fountain (blackbody shift). NIST-F1 is one of the best cesium fountains currently contributing to international atomic time, but has reached a point that it is impractical to improve its accuracy substantially. Therefore we are building a new fountain, imaginatively named NIST-F2, with a cryogenic (77 K) Ramsey interrogation zone that lowers the blackbody shift by several orders of magnitude. NIST-F2 is currently undergoing final assembly, and we will discuss our planned (hoped for) performance, which includes frequency inaccuracy ofδ f/f<1×10^{-16}.

Keywords

EN

06.20.Fn; 32.30.Bv; 32.30.-r; 32.10.Fn; 32.80.Pj

Discipline

• 32.30.-r: Atomic spectra (see also 78.47.J- Ultrafast spectroscopy)
• 32.10.Fn: Fine and hyperfine structure(see also 31.30.Gs Hyperfine interactions and isotope effects)
• 32.30.Bv: Radio-frequency, microwave, and infrared spectra

• Publisher: Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Acta Physica Polonica A
• Year: 2007
• Volume: 112
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 759-767

Dates

published

2007-11

received

2007-09-03

Contributors

author

S. Jefferts

• NIST - Time and Frequency Division, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305, USA

author

T. Heavner

• NIST - Time and Frequency Division, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305, USA

author

T. Parker

• NIST - Time and Frequency Division, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305, USA

author

J. Shirley

• NIST - Time and Frequency Division, 325 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80305, USA

References

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Identifiers

DOI

10.12693/APhysPolA.112.759