Accuracy evaluation of primary frequency standard NIST-F4

Abstract This work describes the apparatus for NIST-F4, an updated cesium atomic fountain at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and presents an accuracy evaluation of the fountain as a primary frequency standard. The fountain uses optical molasses to laser cool a cloud of cesium atoms and launch it vertically in a fountain geometry. In high-density mode, the fractional frequency stability of NIST-F4 is <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>σ</mml:mi> <mml:mi>y</mml:mi> </mml:msub> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:mi>τ</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1.5</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:msup> <mml:mn>10</mml:mn> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>13</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> <mml:msqrt> <mml:mi>τ</mml:mi> </mml:msqrt> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> , where τ is the measurement time in seconds. The short-term stability is limited by quantum projection noise and by phase noise from the local oscillator, an oven-controlled crystal oscillator operating at 5 MHz. Systematic frequency shifts and their uncertainties have been evaluated, resulting in a systematic (type B) fractional frequency uncertainty <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>σ</mml:mi> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">B</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>2.2</mml:mn> <mml:mo>×</mml:mo> <mml:msup> <mml:mn>10</mml:mn> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>16</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msup> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> .