Title :
Developments of rubidium frequency standards at Neuchatel Observatory
Author :
Rochat, Pascal ; Schweda, Hartmut ; Mileti, Gaetano ; Busca, Giovanni
Author_Institution :
Obs. Cantonal de Neuchatel, Neuchatel, Switzerland
Abstract :
The paper describes developments of novel miniaturized rubidium frequency standards. Two variants stem from the same principal design based upon a magnetron cavity. (1) a very small industrial unit for standard commercial applications. The overall volume of this model is only 0.251 with a mass of 470 g and power consumption of 8 W. This unit is close to industrialization, (2) a rugged spaceborne oscillator designed for operation on various spacecrafts or missions. This model was developed in the framework of ESA´s In-Orbit Technology Demonstration Program. Two units, outcome from the present development, will constitute the main time reference for the Russian RADIOASTRON I space VLBI satellite. For this particular application the short time stability and temperature sensitivity are very important. The measured short time stability is σy=4·10-12·τ- 1/2 with 1.6·10-10 temperature sensitivity over the whole operating range -20°C to 65°C
Keywords :
frequency measurement; measurement standards; rubidium; space vehicle electronics; ESA; In-Orbit Technology Demonstration Program; Neuchatel Observatory; Rb frequency standards; Russian RADIOASTRON I space VLBI satellite; industrial unit; navigation; rugged spaceborne oscillator; short time stability; standard commercial applications; temperature sensitivity; time reference; Aerospace industry; Energy consumption; Frequency; Oscillators; Satellite broadcasting; Space technology; Space vehicles; Stability; Standards development; Temperature sensors;
Conference_Titel :
Frequency Control Symposium, 1994. 48th., Proceedings of the 1994 IEEE International
Conference_Location :
Boston, MA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-1945-1
DOI :
10.1109/FREQ.1994.398257
