Design of a Miniaturized High-Performance Rubidium Atomic Frequency Standard

A miniaturized high-performance rubidium atomic frequency standard (RAFS) is introduced in this paper. Physics package is composed of a newly developed slotted tube microwave cavity and a Rb-87 spectral lamp with Xe as starter gas. Optical and hyperfine filter techniques are used in the design of the physics package. A PLL frequency multiplier is designed with a digital synthesizer chip with ultra-low-noise floor. The produced microwave interrogating signal is of low phase noise. To meet the needs of possible space applications, the RAFS has rigid mechanical structure and reliable thermal structure. The volume of the RAFS is 300 mL, and the short-term frequency stability is measured to be 1.5 x 10(-12)root tau.