Laser-pumped double-resonance atomic clock using a micro-fabricated Rb cell

We present first results on a laser-pumped, double resonance (DR) Rubidium atomic clock, based on micro-fabricated Rb vapour cells. The study aims towards a miniature atomic clock based on DR, using a low-power laser as pump light source and a miniaturized microwave coupling structure (that will replace the bulky microwave cavity employed in today´s much bigger Rb clocks). Good signal amplitude, low background light level, and no need for GHz laser modulation are among the advantages of this approach.