Rubidium Maser Development

In this program we propose to investigate technical issues relevant to the construction of highly stable, miniature, atomic rubidium (Rb (superscript 87)) maser. We plan to investigate two versions of this maser, both to be built in the Phase II: the first is a full size version, and the second will be a compact version. The full size version will be comparable in size and power requirements to a common rubidium standard, but the stability will exceed that of a full size hydrogen maser. A compact version of this maser would be significantly smaller than any atomic standard currently available. The innovations that enable the development of these compact standards are: first, a gas cell design where a optical pumping and microwave interrogation occur in separate bulb volumes; and second, a rubidium gas cell that operates without a buffer gas and has been shown to produce a 10 Hz linewidth of the rubidium hyperfine transition. In the proposed Phase I program, we will investigate several technical issues to be addressed prior to the construction of the rubidium maser. After the comletion of the Phase I program, we will propose a Phase II program that will include the construction of the maser with both a full size and a compact cavity. Such a maser could have wide scale application in navigation systems, EW, bi-static and multi-static radar, as well as commercial areas.