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US 8,009,520 B2Granted
Method and system for operating an atomic clock using a self-modulated laser with electrical modulation
AssigneePrinceton University
InventorsYuan-Yu Jau, Kiyoshi Ishikawa, William Happer
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Abstract
A polarization gain medium such as an emitting laser diode provides the optical pumping. An atomic vapor cell is positioned in the laser cavity providing spontaneous push-pull optical pumping inside the laser cavity. This causes the laser beam to be modulated at hyperfine-resonance frequency. A clock signal is obtained from electrical modulation across the laser diode.
Claims17
A method for operating an atomic clock comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a self-modulating laser comprising gain media and a vapor cell within a laser cavity;
- b) exciting hyperfine transitions of atoms within said vapor cell by pumping them with light from said laser modulated at a hyperfine frequency;
- and
- c) creating an electrical signal directly from said gain media using an input optical signal and a modulated voltage output from said gain media;
- and measuring an interval of time using the electrical signal.
2 more elements
An atomic clock comprising:
- photonic gain media and a vapor cell within a laser cavity, said vapor cell modulates said laser at a hyperfine frequency, and
- a coupling circuit coupled to said laser cavity, said coupling circuit determining an electrical signal for said atomic clock by using a modulated voltage determined directly from said photonic gain media;
- and wherein the atomic clock measures time using the electrical signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.