[time-nuts] vs Hg ion? Re: GPS clock stabilitiy, Rb vs Cs

Jim Lux jimlux at earthlink.net
Sun May 5 12:50:02 EDT 2013


On 5/5/13 8:42 AM, Richard (Rick) Karlquist wrote:
> At HP in the 1990's, Len Cutler's group built some experimental
> mercury ion standards for USNO (IIRC).  They were of the
> trapped ion type.  BTW, it is important to understand that
> the architecture is the key factor, not the flavor of atom.
> When people say rubidium is inferior to cesium, they really
> mean a gas call is inferior to an atomic beam, etc.
>
>
OK, that's interesting..

So the Hg ion they're building for Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) is a 
trapped ion type. The whole thing is, as I recall, 1 liter, 1 kilo, 
including both the physics package and the electronics.

It's targeting USO type applications.





More information about the time-nuts mailing list