Time and frequency activities at NRC

Pierre Dubé; Alan A. Madej; John E. Bernard; Louis Marmet; Marina Gertsvolf

doi:10.1117/12.893980

12 September 2011 Time and frequency activities at NRC

Pierre Dubé, Alan A. Madej, John E. Bernard, Louis Marmet, Marina Gertsvolf

Proceedings Volume 8132, Time and Frequency Metrology III; 81320G (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893980
Event: SPIE Optical Engineering + Applications, 2011, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is currently involved in a number of research projects aimed at improving time and frequency realization based on the accurate and precise stabilization of microwave and optical sources on atomic and molecular transitions. Projects described in this summary will focus on the development of a primary standard for the realization of the SI second based on a cesium atomic fountain and a next generation standard based on an optical transition in a single trapped and laser cooled ion of strontium. The cesium fountain is undergoing evaluations of its systematic shifts for an eventual contribution to TAI and for a re-measurement of the absolute frequency of the strontium ion clock transition at the 10^-15 level. The main contribution to the uncertainty budget of the fountain is thought to be caused by the inhomogeneity in the magnitude of the magnetic field in the drift region. The latest measurements of this field are presented. A new strontium ion trap of the endcap design was completed last year. This new system has compensation electrodes and access ports in three orthogonal directions to control the ion position and minimize micromotion. We report preliminary results indicating improved performance of this trap over our previous rf Paul trap. As part of an effort to reduce the systematics shifts to a minimum, the heights of the atomic standards above the geoid were measured with an accuracy of 5 cm, corresponding to a fractional frequency uncertainty of 5 × 10^-18 for the gravitational redshift.

Citation Download Citation

Pierre Dubé, Alan A. Madej, John E. Bernard, Louis Marmet, and Marina Gertsvolf "Time and frequency activities at NRC", Proc. SPIE 8132, Time and Frequency Metrology III, 81320G (12 September 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.893980

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
11 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Ions

Magnetism

Standards development

Clocks

Cesium

Strontium

Laser beam diagnostics

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years