Global Patent Index - EP 1815588 A2

EP 1815588 A2 20070808 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A LASER SELF-MODULATED AT ALKALI-METAL ATOM HYPERFINE FREQUENCE

Title (en)

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A LASER SELF-MODULATED AT ALKALI-METAL ATOM HYPERFINE FREQUENCE

Title (de)

VERFAHREN UND SYSTEM ZUM SELBSTMODULIERTEN BETRIEB EINES LASERS BEI ALKALIMETALLATOM-HYPERFEINFREQUENZ

Title (fr)

PROCEDE ET SYSTEME D'EXPLOITATION D'UN LASER AUTO-MODULE A UNE FREQUENCE HYPERFINE D'ATOME DE METAL ALCALIN

Publication

EP 1815588 A2 20070808 (EN)

Application

EP 05857002 A 20051122

Priority

  • US 2005042396 W 20051122
  • US 63002404 P 20041122
  • US 5226105 A 20050207
  • US 28406405 A 20051121

Abstract (en)

[origin: WO2006073597A2] The present invention provides a method and apparatus for making atomic clocks or atomic magnetometers as self-modulated laser systems based on the physics of push-pull optical pumping. An atomic vapor cell is required to be in the laser cavity. With proper conditions, spontaneous push-pull optical pumping can occur inside the laser cavity. This causes the laser beam to be modulated at hyperfine-resonance frequency. With a fast photodetector, the modulated laser signal can be converted into the electrical signal, which serves as the atomic clock ticking signal or magnetometer signal. The self-modulated laser system does not use any local oscillator and the microwave circuit to lock the oscillator frequency to the hyperfine-resonance frequency, and therefore can consume less power and become more compact than conventional systems. This invention will benefit applications of time measurements and magnetic-field measurements.

IPC 8 full level

H03B 17/00 (2006.01); H01S 1/06 (2006.01)

CPC (source: EP)

G04F 5/145 (2013.01); H03L 7/26 (2013.01); H01S 3/08022 (2013.01); H01S 3/1061 (2013.01); H01S 3/1115 (2013.01); H01S 3/1303 (2013.01); H01S 5/0623 (2013.01); H01S 5/065 (2013.01); H01S 5/0687 (2013.01); H01S 5/141 (2013.01)

Designated contracting state (EPC)

AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IS IT LI LT LU LV MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR

Designated extension state (EPC)

AL BA HR MK YU

DOCDB simple family (publication)

WO 2006073597 A2 20060713; WO 2006073597 A3 20070426; EP 1815588 A2 20070808; EP 1815588 A4 20100303; JP 2008522411 A 20080626

DOCDB simple family (application)

US 2005042396 W 20051122; EP 05857002 A 20051122; JP 2007543419 A 20051122