Method for suppressing light shift in optical pumping systems
US7825736B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 18, 2008 |
| Grant date | Nov 2, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 24, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG04F5/145
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method and system to suppress or eliminate light shift in an optical pumping system, such as an atomic clock. The method uses modulation of a radiation source, such as a radio frequency or microwave source, to simultaneously lock the frequency of the radiation source to an atomic resonance and lock the frequency of the optical pumping source in order to suppress or eliminate light shift. In one embodiment, the method of the present invention directly utilizes the out-of-phase channel of a lock-in amplifier to additionally lock an optical pumping source to a zero-light-shift frequency, where the in-phase channel is used to lock the frequency of the radiation source to an atomic resonance.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.