FREQUENCY STANDARDS

Frequency standards with stability and accuracy at the level required for industrial applications already exist in well-controlled laboratory environments. The best of these are capable of fractional frequency reproducibilities better than 1 part in 10 15, significantly beyond what is required for most industrial applications. The problem is that these frequency standards are generally bulky, have high electrical power consumption and can only be operated by highly trained personnel. They are also not designed for extended operation in demanding industrial environments where temperature fluctuations and vibration levels are likely to be at least an order of magnitude worse than in a typical laboratory environment.