Abstract:
We report on the development and short-term stability characterization of an optical frequency reference based on the spectroscopy of the rubidium two-photon transition at 778 nm in a microfabricated vapor cell. When compared against a 778 nm reference signal extracted from a frequency-doubled cavity-stabilized telecom laser, the short-term stability of the microcell frequency standard is until 200 s, in good agreement with a phase noise level of at 1 Hz offset frequency. The two main contributions to the short-term stability of the microcell reference are currently the photon shot noise and the intermodulation effect induced by the laser frequency noise. Retaining a relevant margin of progress, these results show the interest of this spectroscopic approach for the demonstration of high-stability miniaturized optical vapor cell clocks. Such clocks are poised to be highly beneficial for applications in navigation, communications, and metrology.
Authors: Martin Callejo, Andrei Mursa, Rémy Vicarini, Emmanuel Klinger, Quentin Tanguy, Jacques Millo, Nicolas Passilly, and Rodolphe Boudot
Publication location: Journal of the Optical Society of America B
Date of publication: 19 December 2024
D.O.I: https://doi.org/10.1364/JOSAB.533904
How to cite this article: Martin Callejo, Andrei Mursa, Rémy Vicarini, Emmanuel Klinger, Quentin Tanguy, Jacques Millo, Nicolas Passilly, and Rodolphe Boudot, “Short-term stability of a microcell optical reference based on the Rb atom two-photon transition at 778 nm,” J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 42, 151-159 (2025)
