Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

The Quantum Beat

The Physical Principles of Atomic Clocks

  • Book
  • © 1998

Overview

Authors:
  1. F. G. Major

    1. Severna Park, USA

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Intended for non-specialists

  • Treats the material in a broad intuitive manner

  • Covers a wide range of relevant topics

  • Focuses on electronic time keeping

  • Examines the revolutionary changes made possible by laser cooling and optical pumping

  • Discusses the application to global navigation - particular GPS and Loran-

  • Unique, in that no other books cover the physics of atomic clocks

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 74.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (19 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Celestial and Mechanical Clocks

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 1-21

  3. Oscillations and Fourier Analysis

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 23-45

  4. Oscillators

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 47-62

  5. Quartz Clocks

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 63-88

  6. The Language of Electrons, Atoms, and Quanta

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 89-115

  7. Magnetic Resonance

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 117-140

  8. Corrections to Observed Atomic Resonance

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 141-159

  9. The Rubidium Clock

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 161-178

  10. The Classical Cesium Standard

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 179-204

  11. Atomic and Molecular Oscillators: Masers

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 205-222

  12. The Hydrogen Maser

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 223-254

  13. The Confinement of Ions

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 255-283

  14. The NASA Mercury Ion Experiment

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 285-306

  15. Optical Frequency Oscillators: Lasers

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 307-343

  16. Laser Cooling of Atoms and Ions

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 345-368

  17. Application of Lasers to Microwave Standards

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 369-394

  18. Measurement of Optical Frequency

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 395-417

  19. Applications: Time-Based Navigation

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 419-447

  20. Concluding Thoughts

    • F. G. Major
    Pages 449-456
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

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.

Reviews

From the reviews of the second edition:

"This revision is a very complete account of the evolution of frequency and time measurement with emphasis on the development of atomic clocks. … The 20 chapters include a wide range of topics starting with a brief history of time measurements. … Complete index, extensive references, list of suggested readings by topic. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals; two-year technical program students." (R. L. Stearns, CHOICE, Vol. v4 (3), November, 2007)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Severna Park, USA

    F. G. Major

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Quantum Beat

  • Book Subtitle: The Physical Principles of Atomic Clocks

  • Authors: F. G. Major

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2923-8

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media New York 1998

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-4757-2923-8Published: 09 March 2013

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIV, 475

  • Number of Illustrations: 92 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Atomic, Molecular, Optical and Plasma Physics

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation