Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Vyacheslav Lebedev

Steven Ryan Jefferts

Eric A Imhof

August John McClenehan

An atomic clock system includes a waveguide cavity that is sealed and comprises a gas enclosed therein. The waveguide cavity has a length that is an integer multiple of approximately one half-wavelength of a resonant frequency of the gas between two states. An oscillator system generates an RF signal through the waveguide cavity. The RF signal has a signal frequency that is approximately equal to the resonant frequency of the gas. A detection system measures a characteristic of the RF signal through the waveguide cavity to detect a maximum transition between the two states of the gas and to provide a feedback signal to the oscillator system to lock the signal frequency of the RF signal to the resonant frequency of the gas based on detecting the maximum transition. The detection system provides a frequency reference output signal based on the signal frequency of the RF signal.

Atomic clock system

One example includes a vapor cell. The cell includes a transparent enclosure and alkali metal atoms enclosed within the transparent enclosure. The alkali metal atoms can be configured to be stimulated from a first energy state to a second energy state in response to an optical beam provided through the vapor cell and to emit fluorescent light in response to energy of the alkali metal atoms decaying from the second energy state to the first energy state. The cell further includes a reflective coating that is provided on an exterior surface of the transparent enclosure to surround the vapor cell to provide a reflective interior surface with respect to the transparent enclosure of the vapor cell to reflect the fluorescent light. The reflective coating can include a detection window configured to facilitate escape of the fluorescent light from the vapor cell for optical detection.

Vapor cell detection system

One example includes an atomic optical reference system. The system includes an optical system comprising a laser configured to generate an optical beam. The system also includes a vapor cell comprising alkali metal atoms that are stimulated in response to a modulated beam corresponding to an amplitude-modulated version of the optical beam. The system also includes a detection system configured to monitor at least one detection signal corresponding to light emitted from or absorbed by the vapor cell and to generate at least one feedback signal in response to the at least one detection signal. The system further includes a beam modulator configured to amplitude-modulate the optical beam to generate the modulated beam and to frequency shift the optical beam to generate an output beam having a stable frequency in response to the at least one feedback signal.

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Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

Vyacheslav Lebedev