NIST Cesium Fountains - Current Status and Future Prospects
Abstract
We review the current status of the U.S. Primary Frequency Standard, NIST-F1. NIST-F1 is a laser-cooled cesium fountain based frequency standard with an inaccuracy of less than δf/f < 5 × 10-16; limited mainly by the radiation field in the room-temperature fountain (blackbody shift). NIST-F1 is one of the best cesium fountains currently contributing to international atomic time, but has reached a point that it is impractical to improve its accuracy substantially. Therefore we are building a new fountain, imaginatively named NIST-F2, with a cryogenic (77 K) Ramsey interrogation zone that lowers the blackbody shift by several orders of magnitude. NIST-F2 is currently undergoing final assembly, and we will discuss our planned (hoped for) performance, which includes frequency inaccuracy of δf/f < 1 × 10-16.
- Publication:
-
Acta Physica Polonica A
- Pub Date:
- November 2007
- DOI:
- 10.12693/APhysPolA.112.759
- Bibcode:
- 2007AcPPA.112..759J