Stabilization of a microwave oscillator using a resonance Raman transition in a sodium beam

Thomas et al. (1982) have shown that extremely narrow optical features can be obtained by using a stimulated resonance Raman transition between two long-lived hyperfine ground sublevels in a sodium atomic beam. Such studies have possible applications both in spectroscopy and in the development of new time and frequency standards, particularly in the microwave- and millimeter-wave regions of the spectrum. A description is provided of preliminary results of attempts to stabilize the frequency of a microwave oscillator by using the considered narrow optical features. Attention is also given to various sources of frequency error which have been identified, and to possible experimental techniques for minimizing such errors.