Preliminary results from the USNO cesium fountain

We are pursuing a program that will integrate atomic fountain-based clocks into the U. S. Naval Observatory (USNO) Master Clock. We will present data from our cesium atomic fountain, including initial measurements of our device relative to an active hydrogen maser on both the clock transition and a magnetic field sensitive transition. As this maser is part of the USNO timing ensemble, we can easily relate the frequency and frequency stability of the fountain to any of our clocks or internal timescales. We will also present several possible continuous operation strategies for the incorporation of this new class of clock into the local clock ensemble.