The $^{87}$Rubidium Atomic Clock Maser in Giant Stars

Abstract

We conducted a Green Bank Telescope search for the ground state 6.8 GHz hyperfine transition of rubidium ($^{87}$Rb) toward giant stars detected in Rb I optical resonance lines. The spin-flip transition of $^{87}$Rb is one of the principal transitions used in atomic clocks, in addition to the hydrogen 21 cm maser and the $^{133}$Cs hyperfine transition (which defines the second). The optical lines of $^{87}$Rb and $^{85}$Rb can together pump the 6.8 GHz transition to form a maser, and the same optical pumping used in atomic clocks may occur in the atmospheres of evolved stars. No 6.8 GHz $^{87}$Rb lines were detected above 3.8$\sigma$.