Pulsed optically pumped Rb clock with optical detection: First results

In this work we present the first results related to a prototype of Rb clock working in pulsed regime, developed in the frame of an ESA contract (“Next generation compact atomic clocks”, 21504/08/NL/GLC). The contract is a joint participation between Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, Optics Division (INRIM, Italy) and Université de Neuchatel, Laboratoire Temps - Frequence (LTF, Switzerland).