A Prototype of a Compact Rubidium-Based Optical Frequency Reference for Operation on Nanosatellites

TL;DR

This paper presents a compact, low-power rubidium-based optical frequency reference prototype designed for nanosatellites, achieving high stability and suitable size for space deployment, enabling advancements in satellite-based atomic clocks.

Contribution

The authors developed a CubeSat-compatible optical frequency reference using rubidium vapor, demonstrating its feasibility for space applications with minimal size and power consumption.

Findings

Achieved a frequency instability of 1.7e-12 at 1 s

Optical module volume is 35 cm^3

Weight is 73 g and power consumption is 780 mW

Abstract

Space-borne optical frequency references based on spectroscopy of atomic vapors may serve as an integral part of compact optical atomic clocks, which can advance global navigation systems, or can be utilized for earth observation missions as part of laser systems for cold atom gradiometers. Nanosatellites offer low launch-costs, multiple deployment opportunities and short payload development cycles, enabling rapid maturation of optical frequency references and underlying key technologies in space. Towards an in-orbit demonstration on such a platform, we have developed a CubeSat-compatible prototype of an optical frequency reference based on the D2-transition in rubidium. A frequency instability of 1.7e-12 at 1 s averaging time is achieved. The optical module occupies a volume of 35 cm^3, weighs 73 g and consumes 780 mW of power.