ATOMIC FOUNTAIN CLOCK USING LASER TRAPPED AND COOLED CS ATOMS

The object of this work is to continue a program to build an atomic beam clock using laser trapped and cooled Cs atoms. It is hoped that this clock will be at least two orders of magnitude more accurate than conventional Cs clocks. At present an internally funded research and development program is underway to construct a laser cooled atomic trap for Cs atoms. In the proposed research, as these Cs atoms pass through a waveguide, they will be used to detect a 9.2 GHz clock signal. The number of atoms undergoing the clock transition will be measured and the results used to control a quartz oscillator. Experiments will be performed to determine the optimum value of various parameters. This will results in data for the design of an improved clock in phase 2. A new commercial atomic clock two to three orders of magnitude better than present clocks would result in improvements in navigation, astronomy, physics, geophysical research, etc.