Subminiature microwave cavity
First Claim
1. A microwave cavity comprising:
- an electrically conductive means forming a microwave cavity;
a quantum system carried within the microwave cavity, said microwave cavity being operable at about a selected reference frequency of the quantum system;
means for admission of light into the microwave cavity and quantum system; and
lumped LC means for operation of the microwave cavity in a substantially TEM mode and resonant, when excited by microwave energy at about the selected reference frequency, to provide a microwave field in the microwave cavity.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An extremely small and inexpensively manufactured physics package for an atomic frequency standard can be provided with a microwave cavity having non-critical dimensions that is driven in a substantially TEM mode by a lumped LC means, the cavity resonant frequency being primarily determined by the lumped LC means. The lumped LC means can be any structure or combination of elements providing, at a selected microwave reference frequency, a resonant inductance and capacitance. Examples of such lumped LC means include, preferably, a rod or wire conductively attached to a wall of the microwave cavity as a lumped inductance and extending into the cavity to form, at its other end, a gap with an opposing cavity wall as a lumped capacitance; or a pair of rods or wires conductively attached to opposing walls and extending therefrom as a lumped inductance to form a gap therebetween as a lumped capacitance.
41 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A microwave cavity comprising:
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an electrically conductive means forming a microwave cavity; a quantum system carried within the microwave cavity, said microwave cavity being operable at about a selected reference frequency of the quantum system; means for admission of light into the microwave cavity and quantum system; and lumped LC means for operation of the microwave cavity in a substantially TEM mode and resonant, when excited by microwave energy at about the selected reference frequency, to provide a microwave field in the microwave cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. Means forming a microwave cavity for a quantum frequency standard, comprising
an electrically conductive cavity-forming enclosure having an opening in one side of the cavity forming an optical axis through the cavity adjacent one end thereof, and having a rod extending into the cavity adjacent the other end thereof in a direction substantially parallel to said optical axis, and providing, with the electrically conductive enclosure, a lumped LC resonant at a selected reference frequency; said cavity and rod cooperating at the selected reference frequency to operate the microwave cavity in a substantially TEM mode and to provide a microwave magnetic field substantially perpendicular to said optical axis and between said rod and said one end. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A microwave cavity for an atomic frequency standard, comprising:
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an electrically conductive means forming a microwave cavity operable at about an atomic gas reference frequency; an optically transparent atomic cell carried within and at one end of the cavity and providing an atomic gas excitable at the atomic gas reference frequency; means for providing a static magnetic field in the optically transparent atomic cell; an aperture for admission of light formed in the electrically conductive means on an optical axis including the optically transparent atomic cell; and lumped LC means for operating said microwave cavity in a substantially TEM mode and resonant, when excited by microwave energy at about the atomic gas reference frequency, to provide a microwave magnetic field in the optically transparent atomic cell substantially parallel to the static magnetic field, said microwave magnetic field being substantially perpendicular to the optical axis. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification