Electromagnetic Separation of High-abundance Rubidium-87 and Its Application

Abstract

The rubidium clock，as the core part of the Beidou satellite navigation and positioning system，mainly provides high-precision time reference signals. Its accuracy will directly affect the performance of the Beidou system. The high abundance isotope rubidium 87 is the core working material of rubidium clocks. Its abundance is an important factor affecting the accuracy of atomic clocks. The high-abundance rubidium-87 isotopes required for the separation of rubidium bells in the United States and Russia，two major isotope producing countries，use electromagnetic separation technology. At present，the production of rubidium 87 isotopes for electromagnetic isotope separation in China can only meet a small portion of the demand. With the arrival of the 5G era，the demand for high abundance rubidium isotopes in fields such as aerospace and chip clocks has significantly increased. It will further increase the gap in domestic rubidium isotopes. It is expected that the demand for rubidium 87 will reach several hundred grams to several kilograms per year in the future. By analyzing the current development status of the quantum time-frequency field and understanding the demand of rubidium clocks for rubidium 87 isotopes in the quantum time-frequency field，it provides guidance for the industrial development and ideas of electromagnetic separation and preparation of rubidium isotopes in the future.Promoting the industrial development of rubidium 87 isotope separation and preparation as soon as possible. Through technological breakthroughs and large-scale construction，separation efficiency can be improved and production costs can be reduced. This will provide important guarantees for the autonomous control of rubidium 87 isotopes.

Keywords

• electromagnetic method
• rubidium isotopes
• quantum time-frequency
• industrialization