cesium beam atomic clock, electronic unit
Date: circa 1960
Inventory Number: RS1502a
Classification: Clock
Subject:
Maker: National Company, Inc. (1914 - 1970s)
User: Robert Vessot
User: Norman Foster Ramsey Jr. (1915 - 2011)
User: Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (founded 1890)
Associate Name: Harvard College Observatory (founded 1839)
Cultural Region:
Place of Origin:
Dimensions:
215 x 46 x 56 cm (84 5/8 x 18 1/8 x 22 1/16 in.)
Material:
Description:
Tall blue metallic rack full of electronic modules. This clock is better known as Atomichron.
In Collection(s)
Signedon plate, stamped: MANUFACTURED BY NATIONAL CO. INC. / MALDEN, MASS.
FunctionCalculating component of the cesium atomic clock, including most of the electronic units that constitute its operation. Main function is to measure the frequency of microwave emissions from the cesium beam and use this frequency to calculate units of time.
For more information on cesium beam atomic clocks, see A Brief History of Atomic Clocks at the NIST website.
For more information on cesium beam atomic clocks, see A Brief History of Atomic Clocks at the NIST website.
Historical AttributesStarting in the 1960s, Robert Vessot, at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, together with several colleagues including Norman Ramsey, the creator of the Maser, developed the atomic clock based on it. This is one of the atomic clocks that resulted from that process.
For more details of this development and its use in the verification of Einstein's General Relativity Theory, see Published References.
For more details of this development and its use in the verification of Einstein's General Relativity Theory, see Published References.
Curatorial RemarksFor a large collection of atomic clocks and a detailed history, see the following website.
ProvenanceFrom Dr. Robert Vessot's laboratory at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University.