Atomic caesium clocks

[LeThalois]

Hello,

I am a junior researcher in electronics (novice, beginner ). I intend to assure training for an engineer during his Final Project Study which lasts 3 months. The subject on which we plan to work is "atomic clock".

Can you suggest a topic in which we can use technology of embedded systems (especially STM32, FPGA, DSP) of course with keeping link with the main subject "atomic clock".

Thank you, in advance for your help which will be, without a doubt, valuable to me.

 

[BradtheRad]

An atomic clock keeps time by counting the vibrations of cesium atoms. Rubidium might be used in lower cost units.

It would be a challenge for anyone to do this in the home, without expensive equipment... but maybe if you start with enough divide-by-n prescalers would allow you to time an atomic process of a slower nature?

Or to observe how some atomic process relates to another process?

Or to time the speed of light through various media? I saw a tv segment about time and time measurement, where a researcher discovered that light slows to several meters per second when passed through supercooled gaseous sodium. It opens new possibilities for research and development.

http://www.jupiterscientific.org/sciinfo/slowlight.html

Or to demonstrate interaction of GPS signals? Each GPS satellite has an atomic clock onboard, and broadcasts a radio signal toward earth which is based on its time clock. The signals contain sufficient detail that we can use them to triangulate our location on the ground.

 

[Astrid]

Some ideas
- GPS disciplined 10MHz frequency normal with Rubidium clock
- 300MHz universal frequency counter with with Rubidium clock ( ideal choice in which you use FPGA, ARM, Rubidium Clock )

 

[LeThalois]

thnkx very much ^_^