High Performance Pulsed Rubidium Clock for Space Applications

The rationale driving the Kernco offering for this program is that the ideal system for the next generation of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite atomic frequency standards should incorporate the most modern and advanced developments in quantum mechanics and digital electronics onto a mature and proven platform. The Pulsed Optically Pumped Maser is an obvious choice directly traceable to existing, spaceflight-worthy clocks while exploiting the unique advantages of a"pulsed"(Raman-Ramsey) interrogation technique. The physics package of the Pulsed Optically Pumped (POP) Maser is essentially identical to that of a CPT maser, with the addition of an AOM, reference cell to maintain wavelength lock, direct digital synthesizer (DDS) at 85 MHz, and a small number of software enhancements. BENEFIT: Kernco proposes a logical follow-on to the ATAFS program by adapting the current CPT MASER to operate in the pulsed mode. Through the incorporation of hardware upgrades to the current CPT MASER, the resultant Pulsed Rubidium Atomic Clock (PRAC) is expected to provide the frequency stability of 1x10-12 per root tau with a flicker floor of<1x10-14.