The One Atom Maser, or Micromaser is a cavity Q.E.D. experiment. consisting of a high-Q superconducting microwave cavity which interacts with a sequence of single 2-level Rydberg atoms. Thanks to the simplicity with which it can be treated theoretically and thanks to its fundamental nature it has generated much interest. Its implementation however is technically complex. In this thesis I will show how a variety of new techniques can be used to make this experiment more accessible and scalable. In particular I develop a 3-step laser excitation system for Rubidium Rydberg states, which I present together with the most accurate Rydberg spectroscopy to date of Rubidium P states with principal quantum number 36 to 63, from which quantum defects and an accurate value of the ionisation energy of Rubidium is derived. Work on locking multiple lasers to a single frequency comb, thus performing accurate multi-step spectroscopy is presented. A motor able to produce a 10 N force and 5 em of travel and operating at cryogenic temperatures is described as well as the practical usage of the first single-chamber cryogen-free dilution refrigerator. I discuss the details of cavity design and manufacturing and present new results on the optimal geometry of a Fabry-Perot resonator in the near-field limit. I also discuss how an alkali metal dispenser beam source was used in the experiment.

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1720 MHz OH masers have been detected towards a number of supernova remnants (SNRs) at the shock interface where the SNR slams into the interstellar medium. Models indicate that these masers are shock excited and can only be produced under tight constraints of the physical conditions. In particular, the masers can only form behind a C-type shock. Jets from newlyformed stars plow into the surrounding gas, creating nebulous regions known as Herbig Haro (HH) objects. Signatures of C-type shocks have been found in many HH objects. If conditions behind the shock fronts of HH objects are able to support 1720 MHz OH masers they would be a usefull diagnostic tool for star formation. A survey toward HH objects detected a number of 1720 MHz OH lines in emission, but future observations with arrays are required to confirm the presence of masers. / Physics / M.Sc. (Astronomy)

1720 MHz OH masers have been detected towards a number of supernova remnants (SNRs) at the shock interface where the SNR slams into the interstellar medium. Models indicate that these masers are shock excited and can only be produced under tight constraints of the physical conditions. In particular, the masers can only form behind a C-type shock. Jets from newlyformed stars plow into the surrounding gas, creating nebulous regions known as Herbig Haro (HH) objects. Signatures of C-type shocks have been found in many HH objects. If conditions behind the shock fronts of HH objects are able to support 1720 MHz OH masers they would be a usefull diagnostic tool for star formation. A survey toward HH objects detected a number of 1720 MHz OH lines in emission, but future observations with arrays are required to confirm the presence of masers. / Physics / M.Sc. (Astronomy)