Fast autotuning of a hydrogen maser by cavity Q modulation

Abstract

A new fast autotuner for the hydrogen maser was implemented. By modulating the cavity, a phase shift in the maser output signal is induced which is proportional to the cavity tuning error. The phase shift is detected and fed back to a varactor tuner to stabilize the cavity against long-term drifts. Also, a PIN-diode cavity modulator which gives no incidental frequency shift over a very wide range of operation was developed. Modulated at over 200 Hz, it allows variations in maser cavity frequency to be compensated with a loop gain greater than 1000. Compensation of incidental amplitude modulation of the output was demonstrated