Low-power, miniature {sup 171}Yb ion clock using an ultra-small vacuum package

Journal Article · Mon Dec 17 04:00:00 EST 2012 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4767454· OSTI ID:22089634

Jau, Y. -Y.; Schwindt, P. D. D. ^[1]; Partner, H. ^[1]; Prestage, J. D.; Kellogg, J. R.; Yu, N. ^[2]

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1. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)
2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109 (United States)

We report a demonstration of a very small microwave atomic clock using the 12.6 GHz hyperfine transition of the trapped {sup 171}Yb ions inside a miniature, completely sealed-off 3 cm{sup 3} ion-trap vacuum package. In the ion clock system, all of the components are highly miniaturized with low power consumption except the 369 nm optical pumping laser still under development for miniaturization. The entire clock, including the control electronics, consumes <300 mW. The fractional frequency instability of the miniature Yb{sup +} clock reaches the 10{sup -14} range after a few days of integration.

• OSTI ID: 22089634
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 25 Vol. 101; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMIC CLOCKS
GHZ RANGE
INSTABILITY
ION SOURCES
IONS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
MICROWAVE SPECTRA
MINIATURIZATION
OPTICAL PUMPING
TRAPPING
TRAPS
YTTERBIUM 171