A method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold-atom gravimeters
In a cold-atom gravimeter based on Raman transition, the frequency of Raman lasers is controlled by microwave signals. The accuracy of the chirp rates of the microwave signals directly influences the accuracy of gravity measurements. This study presents a methodology for the precise and absolute mea...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AIP Publishing LLC
2025-05-01
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| Series: | AIP Advances |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0252751 |
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| author | Huan-Kai Zhang Ji-Xun Liu Chang-Wen Liang Yi-Fei Zhang Chao Zhou Shu-Hua Yan Ling-Xiao Zhu Jun Yang |
| author_facet | Huan-Kai Zhang Ji-Xun Liu Chang-Wen Liang Yi-Fei Zhang Chao Zhou Shu-Hua Yan Ling-Xiao Zhu Jun Yang |
| author_sort | Huan-Kai Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In a cold-atom gravimeter based on Raman transition, the frequency of Raman lasers is controlled by microwave signals. The accuracy of the chirp rates of the microwave signals directly influences the accuracy of gravity measurements. This study presents a methodology for the precise and absolute measurement of the chirp rate of microwave signals utilizing commercial instruments, achieving a measurement precision superior to 1 mHz/s. To validate this method, we measured the chirp rate of a customized microwave source. The difference between the measured chirp rate and its set value was determined to be −4.56 ± 0.16 mHz/s, which corresponds to a gravity measurement error of −0.17 ± 0.01 μGal. Employing it as a reference source, we measured the chirp rate of the electro-optic modulator drive signal in a cold-atom gravimeter. The result indicates that the gravity measured by this gravimeter is 67 ± 17 μGal higher when the internal reference is employed for its microwave source than when an external reference is employed. The actual deviation as determined by the gravity measurement is 54.4 ± 3.0 μGal, which aligns well with our assessment result. The proposed method for the precise measurement of chirp rates no longer requires an absolutely accurate reference source and offers a novel approach for evaluating the chirp-rate-related measurement error of cold-atom gravimeters. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e1ebd0da63e9419cbe6518069641dee2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2158-3226 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | AIP Publishing LLC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AIP Advances |
| spelling | doaj-art-e1ebd0da63e9419cbe6518069641dee22025-08-20T02:10:06ZengAIP Publishing LLCAIP Advances2158-32262025-05-01155055209055209-910.1063/5.0252751A method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold-atom gravimetersHuan-Kai Zhang0Ji-Xun Liu1Chang-Wen Liang2Yi-Fei Zhang3Chao Zhou4Shu-Hua Yan5Ling-Xiao Zhu6Jun Yang7College of Intelligence Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaCollege of Intelligence Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaCollege of Intelligence Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaCollege of Intelligence Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaCollege of Intelligence Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaCollege of Intelligence Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaCollege of Intelligence Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaCollege of Intelligence Science and Technology, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, ChinaIn a cold-atom gravimeter based on Raman transition, the frequency of Raman lasers is controlled by microwave signals. The accuracy of the chirp rates of the microwave signals directly influences the accuracy of gravity measurements. This study presents a methodology for the precise and absolute measurement of the chirp rate of microwave signals utilizing commercial instruments, achieving a measurement precision superior to 1 mHz/s. To validate this method, we measured the chirp rate of a customized microwave source. The difference between the measured chirp rate and its set value was determined to be −4.56 ± 0.16 mHz/s, which corresponds to a gravity measurement error of −0.17 ± 0.01 μGal. Employing it as a reference source, we measured the chirp rate of the electro-optic modulator drive signal in a cold-atom gravimeter. The result indicates that the gravity measured by this gravimeter is 67 ± 17 μGal higher when the internal reference is employed for its microwave source than when an external reference is employed. The actual deviation as determined by the gravity measurement is 54.4 ± 3.0 μGal, which aligns well with our assessment result. The proposed method for the precise measurement of chirp rates no longer requires an absolutely accurate reference source and offers a novel approach for evaluating the chirp-rate-related measurement error of cold-atom gravimeters.http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0252751 |
| spellingShingle | Huan-Kai Zhang Ji-Xun Liu Chang-Wen Liang Yi-Fei Zhang Chao Zhou Shu-Hua Yan Ling-Xiao Zhu Jun Yang A method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold-atom gravimeters AIP Advances |
| title | A method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold-atom gravimeters |
| title_full | A method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold-atom gravimeters |
| title_fullStr | A method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold-atom gravimeters |
| title_full_unstemmed | A method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold-atom gravimeters |
| title_short | A method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold-atom gravimeters |
| title_sort | method for the precise and absolute measurement of microwave chirp rates in cold atom gravimeters |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/5.0252751 |
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