Progress on a miniature laser-cooled cesium fountain frequency standard

The Time and Frequency Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is developing a miniature laser-cooled Cs-fountain frequency standard. We anticipate that this device will be useful as a transportable reference for comparison of frequency standards at other laboratories. Additionally, it could be useful for measuring the gravitational clock shift at various locations to study models of the geoid. We discuss the objectives of this device, the features of the physics package and preliminary results.