Lifetime and Reliability of Rubidium Discharge Lamps for Use in Atomic Frequency Standards

Volk, C. H.; Frueholz, R. P.; English, Thomas C.; Lynch, Thomas; Riley, William J.

doi:10.1109/freq.1984.200783

Cited by 24 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…This is most probably due to the Rb atoms diffused into the wall over time (similar to the observations reported by other groups 8 ). This layer causes increased Rb self-absorption leading to Doppler broadening of the emitted Rb D lines and also overall reduced transmission of the D line power 15 .…”

Section: Microfabsupporting

confidence: 78%

Reliability characteristics of microfabricated Rb mini-lamps for optical pumping in miniature atomic clocks and magnetometers

et al. 2013

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Section: Microfabsupporting

confidence: 78%

Reliability characteristics of microfabricated Rb mini-lamps for optical pumping in miniature atomic clocks and magnetometers

et al. 2013

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“…In the early 1980s, in an attempt to better understand alkali consumption by Rb rf-discharge lamps, 19,20 Hans Eckert developed the first comprehensive theory of alkali rf-discharge lamp operation. 21 Briefly, the theory attempts to account for the spatial distribution of electron density in the discharge, the spatial distribution of rf-electric field strength in the discharge, and the discharge's power consumption.…”

Section: A Modification Of Eckert's Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Spectral emission from the alkali inductively-coupled plasma: Theory and experiment

2018

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The weakly-ionized, alkali inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) has a long history as the light source for optical pumping. Today, its most significant application is perhaps in the rubidium atomic frequency standard (RAFS), arguably the workhorse of atomic timekeeping in space, where it is crucial to the RAFS’ functioning and performance (and routinely referred to as the RAFS’ “rf-discharge lamp”). In particular, the photon flux from the lamp determines the signal-to-noise ratio of the device, and variations in ICP brightness define the long-term frequency stability of the atomic clock as a consequence of the ac-Stark shift (i.e., the light-shift). Given the importance of Rb atomic clocks to diverse satellite navigation systems (e.g., GPS, Galileo, BeiDou) – and thereby the importance of alkali ICPs to these systems – it is somewhat surprising to find that the physical processes occurring within the discharge are not well understood. As a consequence, researchers do not understand how to improve the spectral emission from the lamp except at a trial-and-error level, nor do they fully understand the nonlinear mechanisms that result in ICP light instability. Here, we take a first step in developing an intuitive, semi-quantitative model of the alkali rf-discharge lamp, and we perform a series of experiments to validate the theory’s predictions.

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“…The rf-discharge lamp is a relatively straight-forward device: 1-3 a cylindrical glass bulb containing several hundred micrograms of liquid alkali metal 14,15 and a few Torr of noble gas (xenon or krypton) is placed within the inductor coils of an rf-oscillator circuit (often a Hartley oscillator or a Colpitts oscillator 16 ), and the base of the bulb is heated to a temperature of about 120 C. There is typically a temperature gradient along the bulb's axis with the face about 20 C hotter than the base. 17 As a consequence of this gradient, the alkali liquid pool condenses to a cold spot at the base of the bulb, leaving the face of the bulb free for light emission.…”

Section: General Features Of Alkali Icpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low-frequency, self-sustained oscillations in inductively coupled plasmas used for optical pumping

Coffer

Encalada

Huang

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Physics

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We have investigated very low frequency, on the order of one hertz, self-pulsing in alkali-metal inductively-coupled plasmas (i.e., rf-discharge lamps). This self-pulsing has the potential to significantly vary signal-to-noise ratios and (via the ac-Stark shift) resonant frequencies in optically pumped atomic clocks and magnetometers (e.g., the atomic clocks now flying on GPS and Galileo global navigation system satellites). The phenomenon arises from a nonlinear interaction between the atomic physics of radiation trapping and the plasma's electrical nature. To explain the effect, we have developed an evaporation/condensation theory (EC theory) of the self-pulsing phenomenon.

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Lifetime and Reliability of Rubidium Discharge Lamps for Use in Atomic Frequency Standards

Cited by 24 publications

References 11 publications

Reliability characteristics of microfabricated Rb mini-lamps for optical pumping in miniature atomic clocks and magnetometers

Reliability characteristics of microfabricated Rb mini-lamps for optical pumping in miniature atomic clocks and magnetometers

Spectral emission from the alkali inductively-coupled plasma: Theory and experiment

Low-frequency, self-sustained oscillations in inductively coupled plasmas used for optical pumping

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