Cesium microwave emission without population inversion

The use of coherent population trapping (CPT) for the realization of a Cs coherent microwave emitter without population inversion is described. Preliminary experimental results are reported regarding the radio frequency spectrum of the emitted microwave radiation, the emission profile width, and the transient behavior of the output power. This new approach, based on the coherence properties of the laser radiation, allows the implementation of a microwave frequency standard where the linear light shift is absent and the thermal noise limit for the frequency instability is below 10/sup -12/ for an integration time of 1 s.