Neither Rb cells nor isolators are difficult to source.They are both catalog items. However if using a cavity it may need to be tailored to the available cells.Walk-off isolators using double refraction are somewhat more convenient than those requiring a strong magnetic field. Bruce
On Sunday, 6 November 2016 10:10 PM, Anders Wallin <anders.e.e.wal...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Just for the heck of it, I'd go laser instead of the old UHF lamp. > > > > With respect to precision machining, that space has changed a lot > > over the last five years, with precision CNC machines, factory > > or home-built, dropping dramatically in price. > Yes, the laser technique is doable even if one has to build an ECDL. > What would be nice would be a scheme that allows the same Rb filled bulb > to be used to both lock the laser to the right wavelength and to detect > that the microwave signal is also locked to the Rb microwave transition. > FWIW we have the remains of this experiment somewhere in the basement - but no time or resources to really play with it... http://lib.tkk.fi/Diss/2010/isbn9789526035024/article4.pdf Fig 3 is a fairly clear overview of the two cells and loops, one for stabilizing the laser wavelength, and one for the 3 GHz sidebands/clock-transition. For hobby tinkering I would expect the Rb-cells and the optical isolator to be hard/expensive to source. Otherwise the electronics needed looks DIY-able. Anders _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there. _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- time-nuts@febo.com To unsubscribe, go to https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts and follow the instructions there.