MHM-2020 Active Hydrogen Maser

Active masers use stimulated emissions to generate the hyperfine transition frequency of ground-state hydrogen atoms. The resulting stabilities, when measured over intervals of 1 second to 1,000 seconds, are the highest for any commercially available clock. Our MHM-2020 hydrogen maser is designed for a 20-year operating life and low maintenance, with 95% of our masers deployed since 1999 still in operation. With the recently integrated drift compensation software, the maser achieves daily drift rates of less than 3E-16.

Key Features:

• < 8.5E-14 Allan Deviation at 1 second (ULN Model)
• < 3E-16/day (typical, after three months) with drift compensation software and cavity autotuning
• Telemetry monitoring via touchscreen and secure Ethernet
• Dedicated keypad or USB/serial port (secure) allows flexibility in instrument control
• Low hydrogen usage for extended maintenance-free operation and demonstrated lifetime of greater than 20 years
• Internal Time-of-Day clock for telemetry data timestamping
• 1 PPS synchronization option for precise calibration to GNSS
• Multiple 1 PPS and RF output options (5, 10 or 100 MHz)
• Low phase nosie option
• Battery backup
• CE compliant
• Upgrade available for MHM-2010 to MHM-2020

Reliability

The lifetime cost of ownership for active masers is a critical consideration. The MHM-2020 is designed for long life and low maintenance. The hydrogen supply is adequate for over 20 years of operation. An efficient hydrogen state selector minimizes the load on ion pumps (< 0.01 mole per year), and the pumps themselves are designed for greater than 20 years of life at nominal hydrogen flux. The TeflonTM bulb coating virtually eliminates any re-coating requirement and has a demonstrated life of over 20 years. Should it be required, the MHM-2020 is designed for on-site module replacement.

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
UTC is the global standard for the time of day. It is used to synchronize power grids, cell phone networks and satellite communications across the world. The time is created by a weighted average of approximately 400 different types of atomic clocks located around the global. In June 2022, we had 59 masers contributing to UTC, the most masers of any manufacturer.