FREQUENCY STABILITY DEGRADATION OF AN OSCILLATOR SLAVED TO A PERIODICALLY INTERROGATED ATOMIC RESONATOR

Atomic frequency standards using trapped ions or cold atoms work intri nsically in a pulsed mode. Theoretically and experimentally, this mode of operation has been shown to lead to a degradation of the frequency stability due to the frequency noise of the interrogation oscillator. In this paper a physical analysis of this effect has been made by eva luating the response of a two-level atom to the interrogation oscillat or phase noise in Ramsey and multi-Rabi interrogation schemes using a standard quantum mechanical approach. This response is then used to ca lculate the degradation of the frequency stability of a pulsed atomic frequency standard such as an atomic fountain or an ion trap standard. Comparison is made to an experimental evaluation of this effect in th e LPTF Cs fountain frequency standard, showing excellent agreement.