[time-nuts] Creating a D.I.Y Rubidium Atomic Clock

[Leo Ahluwalia]

Hello, my name is Leo, and I was wondering about the feasibility of
creating a simple rubidium atomic clock at home, and good places to source
parts for this sort of project. I was also wondering what instruments and
specialized knowledge would be required depending on how pre-built the
parts are, for example, the prerequisite knowledge for creating PLL(s) for
both frequency division to provide an output and also to modulate the input
of the microwave oscillator. Any good resources or PDFs would be greatly
appreciated, as I am very new to frequency analysis and phase manipulation
in general. I was also hoping to keep the cost of the project soft-line
below 500$, though that would be assuming a decent level of precision and
already possessing basic equipment (oscilloscope, multimeter, etc…). Safety
is also a major concern, as I know while the intensity of the EM waves
involved is low, the power source may or may not be. This is all of course
assuming a basic design, where my assumption is that it will involve the
microwaves being shot at a rubidium vapor cell which is directed towards a
photodetector. This would then be connected up to the PLL and circuitry to
both provide a stable standard while also modulating the microwave
oscillator to offset any external environmental factors. I don't have a
clear vision of what would truly be the best design for both simplicity and
cost, though this is what I've found to be a common design in what I've
looked at online.


Thanks, Leo