Patent · US Active

Mercury trapped ion frequency standard for ultra-stable reference applications

US9766593B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
3References
19Claims
0Family size

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Key dates

Filing dateFeb 19, 2015
Grant dateSep 19, 2017
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 19, 2035

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T29/49018
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An atomic clock including an ion trap assembly, a C-field coil positioned for generating a first magnetic field in the interrogation region of the ion trap assembly, a compensation coil positioned for generating a second magnetic field in the interrogation region, wherein the combination of the first and second magnetic fields produces an ion number-dependent second order Zeeman shift (Zeeman shift) in the resonance frequency that is opposite in sign to an ion number-dependent second order Doppler shift (Doppler shift) in the resonance frequency, the C-field coil has a radius selected using data indicating how changes in the radius affect an ion-number-dependent shift in the resonance frequency, such that a difference in magnitude between the Doppler shift and the Zeeman shift is controlled or reduced, and the resonance frequency, including the adjustment by the Zeeman shift, is used to obtain the frequency standard.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.