We have demonstrated the possibility for a compact frequency standard based on a sample of cold cesium atoms. In a cylindrical microwave cavity, the atoms are cooled and interrogated during a free expansion and then detected. The operation of this experiment is different from conventional atomic fountains since all the steps are sequentially performed in the same position of space. In this paper we report the analysis of a Ramsey pattern observed to present a $(47\pm 5)\mathrm{Hz}$ linewidth and a stability of $(5\pm 0.5)x{10}^{-13}{\tau }^{-1/2}$ for an integration time longer than $100\mathrm{s}$ . Some of the main limitations of the standard are analyzed. This present report demonstrates considerable improvement of our previous work [ J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 25, 909 (2008)] where the atoms were in a free space and not inside a microwave cavity.

© 2011 Optical Society of America

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