ULM, Germany - A new laser clock from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) has achieved a record level of accuracy for optical clocks with gas cells: in 30 million years, it would be off by just one second. The quantum properties of iodine molecules determine the rhythm of this laser clock, DLR reports. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
1 August 2024 - DLR has developed the high-precision laser clock in the COMPASSO project drawing on its leading expertise in quantum technologies for spaceflight. "It deviates from so-called Universal Time by less than 100 picoseconds per day. A picosecond is one-millionth of a millionth of a second. This deviation corresponds to one second every 30 million years," explains Claus Braxmaier from the DLR Institute of Quantum Technologies in Ulm. "We are closing the gap between the accuracy of conventional satellite clocks and the large, heavy, high-end atomic clocks that currently determine our universal time in national metrology institutes."
"New generations of highly precise, space-grade laser clocks will significantly improve the performance of satellite-based technologies," explains Stefan Schlüter from DLR's Galileo Competence Center. "Important areas include autonomous driving, telecommunications, disaster management and the financial sector." The accuracy and higher frequency of laser-optical clocks should also enable more powerful communication networks with higher data rates.
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
