The Rubidium atomic clock (Rb) is the workhorse of the satellite navigation systems of which GPS is now a household name. With just the tap of a few keys, drivers and navigators all over the world are able to reach their destination effortlessly with high precision. People are now curious to know what makes this possible. Hence, the need to explain in simplistic terms the Rb atomic clocks that are onboard these satellite navigation systems because no good satellite navigation system is possible without such clocks.But why only Rb atomic clocks when far better and exotic atomic clocks are available? The reasons are as simple as that they are slim, low in weight, easy to build inexpensively. They are also used in numerous military applications such as secure communications, electronic warfare, command and control, telemetry and navigation. Besides, they are used in the measurements of the variation in fine-structure constant, test of relativity, precise spectroscopy and scientific research.This book details the history of time keeping and the chronological development of the Rb atomic clocks, with special focus on the physics Package that accounts for the actual performance of the clock. Researchers and industrialists will find that producing such clocks is relatively simple and inexpensive.

This work reviews the principles underlying quantum-based atomic clocks, with introductory chapters placing them in context with the development of mechanical clocks and electronic quartz-controlled clocks. The book details design principles of the rubidium, cesium, hydrogen maser, and mercury ion standards; changes enabled by the advent of the laser; and the time-based global navigation systems, Loran-C and the Global Positioning System. The new edition includes such recent developments as clocks based on quantum resonance at optical frequency in individual ions confined in miniature electromagnetic traps. The Quantum Beat explores the subject with a minimum of mathematical formalism.

Clear and accessible introduction to the concept of time examines measurement, historic timekeeping methods, uses of time information, role of time in science and technology, and much more. Over 300 illustrations.

This volume covers advances in atomic frequency standards (atomic clocks) from the last several decades. It explains the use of techniques, such as laser optical pumping, coherent population trapping, laser cooling, and electromagnetic and optical trapping, in the implementation of classical microwave and optical atomic frequency standards. The authors describe the basic physics behind the operation of atomic clocks, explore new frequency standards that provide better stability and accuracy than conventional standards, and illustrate the application of atomic clocks in various areas.

This accessible reference presents the evolution of concepts of time and methods of time keeping, for historians, scientists, engineers, and educators. The second edition has been updated throughout to describe twentieth- and twenty-first-century advances, progress in devices, time and cosmology, the redefinition of SI units, and the future of UTC.

In this fascinating book Masatoshi Kajita recounts the importance of precise measurements and their inherent uncertainty, before telling the story of humankind's efforts to define and measure time with increasing accuracy, culminating in the development of atomic clocks. These improvements in the accurate measurement of time and frequency have played a pivotal role in the development of modern science; including the confirmation of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, and the recent detection of gravity waves. Furthermore, such measurements afforded by atomic clocks and other mechanisms are being used to examine key questions about the very fundamentals of our universe, the possibility of symmetry violation and even testing the idea that there may be variation of the fundamental constants themselves over time.

A unique insight into the measurement of time and its applications, at an introductory level.

China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC 2020) Proceedings presents selected research papers from CSNC 2020 held during 23th-25th May in Chengdu, China. These papers discuss the technologies and applications of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the latest progress made in the China BeiDou System (BDS) especially. They are divided into 13 topics to match the corresponding sessions in CSNC2020, which broadly covered key topics in GNSS. Readers can learn about the BDS and keep abreast of the latest advances in GNSS techniques and applications.

China Satellite Navigation Conference (CSNC 2021) Proceedings presents selected research papers from CSNC 2021 held during 22nd-25th May, 2021 in Nanchang, China. These papers discuss the technologies and applications of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and the latest progress made in the China BeiDou System (BDS) especially. They are divided into 10 topics to match the corresponding sessions in CSNC2021 which broadly covered key topics in GNSS. Readers can learn about the BDS and keep abreast of the latest advances in GNSS techniques and applications.

Of all measurement units, frequency is the one that may be determined with the highest degree of accuracy. It equally allows precise measurements of other physical and technical quantities, whenever they can be measured in terms of frequency. This volume covers the central methods and techniques relevant for frequency standards developed in physics, electronics, quantum electronics, and statistics. After a review of the basic principles, the book looks at the realisation of commonly used components. It then continues with the description and characterisation of important frequency standards from atomic clocks, to frequency stabilised lasers. The whole is rounded of with a discussion of topical applications in engineering, telecommunications, and metrology.