Frequency-stability performances of the pulsed optically pumped rubidium clock: Recent results and future perspectives

This paper presents new results obtained with a laboratory prototype of a pulsed optically pumped frequency standard based on a vapor cell containing (87)Rb diluted in a buffer gas. A frequency stability of about 1.2 x 10(-12) tau(-1/2) has been measured, and the value of 3 x 10(-15) for integration times of 10(5) s has been achieved (drift removed data). These performances show that a suitable implementation of this standard can lead to a compact vapor-cell clock with a very interesting short- and medium-term frequency stability and, consequently, may be of great interest in radio-navigation systems. We also present some possible improvements of the pulsed technique.