Development of a Quantum Blackbody Thermometer toward Primary On-orbit Thermometry

TL;DR

This paper proposes a quantum blackbody thermometer using rubidium atom fluorescence ratios, aiming for high long-term accuracy and stability for on-orbit temperature measurements, surpassing traditional resistance-based thermometers.

Contribution

It introduces a novel quantum blackbody thermometer design that leverages atomic properties for intrinsic calibration and long-term stability in space applications.

Findings

Achieves 30 mK long-term accuracy in thermometry.

Utilizes fluorescence ratios of rubidium atoms for calibration.

Offers improved stability over resistance-based thermometers.

Abstract

We present a roadmap to a deployable, intrinsically calibrated thermometer with long-term accuracy of 30 mK, exceeding existing on-orbit resistance-based thermometers. Our quantum blackbody thermometer is based on measuring fluorescence ratios of optically excited rubidium atoms in microfabricated vapor cells. The key advantage of the quantum blackbody thermometer is that long-term stability of the fluorescence ratios is guaranteed by the immutable physical properties (transition strengths) of the rubidium atom. This should be compared against resistance-based thermometers, such as platinum resistance thermometers, which may be calibrated with exceptional accuracy but are susceptible to temporal drift and shifts due to improper handling.