A High-Performance Frequency Stability Compact CPT Clock Based on a Cs-Ne Microcell

R. Boudot (1) , X. Liu (1) , P. Abbe (1) , R.K. Chutani (1) , N. Passilly (1) , S. Galliou (1) , C. Gorecki (1) , V. Giordano (1)

1 FEMTO-ST - Franche-Comté Électronique Mécanique, Thermique et Optique - Sciences et Technologies (UMR 6174)

This paper reports on a compact table-top Cs clock based on coherent population trapping (CPT) with advanced frequency stability performance. The heart of the clock is a single buffer gas Cs-Ne microfabricated cell. Using a distributed feedback (DFB) laser resonant with the Cs D1 line, the contrast of the CPT signal is found to be maximized around 80°C, a value for which the temperature dependence of the Cs clock frequency is canceled. Advanced techniques are implemented to actively stabilize the clock operation on a zero-light-shift point. The clock frequency stability is measured to be 3.8 × 10¿(11) at 1 s and well below 10¿(11) until 50 000 s. These results demonstrate the possibility to develop highperformance chip-scale atomic clocks using vapor cells containing a single buffer gas.

Domaines: Electronique

R. Boudot, X. Liu, P. Abbe, R.K. Chutani, N. Passilly, et al.. A High-Performance Frequency Stability Compact CPT Clock Based on a Cs-Ne Microcell. IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control, 2012, 59 (11), pp.2584-2587. ⟨10.1109/TUFFC.2012.2493⟩. ⟨hal-00776544⟩