The Quantum Beat
Subtitle: The Physical Principles of Atomic Clocks
By: by F. G. Major
Publisher: Springer New York
Published: 1998
Place of publication: New York, NY
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] :
Number of pages: 475
ISBN-13: 9781475729252; 9781475729238
Subjects: Physics
Description: One of the indicators of the level of technological development of a society has been, throughout history, the precision of clocks it was able to build. This book examines the physical principles underlying the workings of clocks--from the earliest mechanical clocks to the present-day sophisticated clocks based on the properties of individual atoms. Intended for non-specialists with some knowledge of physics or engineering,the book treats the material in a broad intuitive manner, with a minimum of mathematical formalism. The presentation covers a broad range of salient topics relevant to the measurement of frequency and time intervals. The main focus is on electronic time-keeping: clocks based on quartz crystal oscillators and, at greater length, atomic clocks based on quantum resonance in rubidium, cesium, and hydrogen atoms, and, more recently, mercury ions. The book treats the revolutionary changes that the optical laser has wrought on atomic standards through laser cooling and optical pumping, and it discusses the application of these clocks to global navigation--in particular Loran-C and the Global Positioning System. The book also touches on such topics as atomic resonance line shape, the relativistic Doppler effect and general notions of time, including the relativity of future and past, the clock paradox, the Sagnac effect and finally, time reversal symmetry.
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Table of contents: title: Celestial and Mechanical Clocks; title: Oscillations and Fourier Analysis; title: Oscillators; title: Quartz Clocks; title: The Language of Electrons, Atoms, and Quanta; title: Magnetic Resonance; title: Corrections to Observed Atomic Resonance; title: The Rubidium Clock; title: The Classical Cesium Standard; title: Atomic and Molecular Oscillators; title: The Hydrogen Maser; title: The Confinement of Ions; title: The NASA Mercury Ion Experiment; title: Optical Frequency Oscillators: Lasers; title: Laser Cooling of Atoms and Ions; title: Application of Lasers to Microwave Standards; title: Measurement of Optical Frequency; title: Applications: Time-Based Navigation; title: Concluding Thoughts.