Analysis and optimization of rubidium spectrum lamp to eliminate frequency fluctuations of rubidium atomic frequency standard

Abstract

Rubidium atomic frequency standard (RAFS) is the most widely used frequency standard in space. The light used to pump the atoms and detect the resonance signal is emitted by rubidium spectrum lamp, so the light intensity of rubidium spectrum lamp directly determines the performance of RAFS. This paper discussed on-board RAFS’ output frequency fluctuations caused by rubidium spectrum lamp. The reason of frequency fluctuations from rubidium lamps was described. To obtain stable lamp light intensity, analysis and optimization of the lamp was developed. Relevant experiments were carried out to verify the optimization. The study content of this paper is beneficial to improve the performance of a single temperature controlled space RAFS physics package.