Active hydrogen maser atomic frequency standard
US5838206A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 19, 1996 |
| Grant date | Nov 17, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 19, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03L7/26
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An atomic maser includes a circuit (25) for effecting a shift in the frequency of a signal injected into a resonant cavity (4) so as to generate alternately a first and a second signal portion having respectively a frequency greater than and less than the natural frequency of stimulated emission, the first and second signal portions having a periodicity corresponding to a predetermined interrogation period. Circuitry (31,32,33,51,52) is responsive to a signal detected in the cavity (4) to produce an error signal representing the difference between the amplitude of the detected signal in response to the injection of the first and second signal portions. Further circuitry (53,54) adjusts the resonant frequency of the cavity in response to the error signal. A pulse generator 26 and a mixer 28 periodically apply both the first and second signal portions for a limited duration only during the interrogation period.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.