KEYWORD |
Ultra-low noise laser current generator for Rb frequency standards
keywords LOW NOISE CURRENT GENERATOR
Reference persons GIOVANNI ANTONIO COSTANZO
External reference persons Ing. C. Calosso
Research Groups Misure
Thesis type EXPERIMENTAL AND SIMULATION
Description At INRIM, we developed a laboratory prototype of Pulsed Optically Pumped (POP) Rb clock, in which laser interaction and microwave interrogation are not simultaneously applied to the atoms, but take place at different times. This simple approach minimizes the transfer of laser noise to the atoms, so that the medium-long term stability of the POP clock is comparable to that of a passive hydrogen maser or even better.
On the other hand, the short term stability (at 1 second) is still limited by the laser noise induced by the current generator that drives the laser itself.
The object of the thesis is to develop an ultra-low noise current generator to drive the laser module. The student will study the problem from a metrological point of view, studying the noise degradation of the clock frequency stability induced by current generator noise. Then she/he will design a current generator able to improve a short-term stability by a factor 10. The board will be based on digital electronics with a remote interface with the rest of the experiment. Finally, she/he will characterize the board and will measure the improvement of the clock stability.
Required skills Low noise electronics
Deadline 11/01/2018
PROPONI LA TUA CANDIDATURA