Compact optics for high performance portable atomic timing and quantum sensors

用于高性能便携式原子计时和量子传感器的紧凑型光学器件

• 批准号: 133978
• 金额: $ 50.27万
• 依托单位: KELVIN NANOTECHNOLOGY LIMITED
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: CR&D Bilateral
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=133978
• 关键词: Compact; optics; performance; portable; atomic

Precision timing is key to all aspects of modern infrastructure, from the national grid, to telecommunications, to financial trading, through to global, national, and individual navigation systems. In most cases this timing is received wirelessly through global navigation satellite systems, commonly known as "sat-nav" or GPS. However, these signals do not have guaranteed security, either through their ownership (the GPS system is run by the US Air Force) or due to the vulnerability of the wireless signal to hacking or jamming. There is an urgent need for a UK source of clocks to protect core infrastructure. Additionally, the development of a step-change in the accuracy and stability of timing and frequency sources will drive new technologies, including faster telecoms and ever more secure communication protocols, precision navigation for autonomous transport networks and earth observation techniques to monitor climate change.This project brings a team of leading UK universities with many decades expertise in atomic physics together with industry leaders specialising in nanofabrication and optical systems engineering to deliver a world leading miniature optical system for atom cooling. This innovative approach will generate a source of ultra-cold strontium atoms suitable to deliver highly accurate time referenced to atomic standards. Ultimately, this technology could be employed in a fully isolated clock that is capable of providing a GNSS-surpassing timing standard at the heart of future autonomous vehicles and critical infrastructure networks.

精确定时是现代基础设施各个方面的关键，从国家电网到电信，到金融交易，再到全球、国家和个人导航系统。在大多数情况下，这个时间是通过全球导航卫星系统无线接收的，通常被称为“卫星导航”或GPS。然而，这些信号的安全性并没有得到保证，要么是由于它们的所有权（GPS系统由美国空军运行），要么是由于无线信号容易受到黑客攻击或干扰。英国迫切需要时钟的来源，以保护核心基础设施。此外，时序和频率源的准确性和稳定性的逐步变化将推动新技术的发展，包括更快的电信和更安全的通信协议，自主运输网络的精确导航和监测气候变化的地球观测技术。该项目汇集了拥有数十年原子物理专业知识的英国顶尖大学团队，以及专门从事纳米制造和光学系统工程的行业领导者，为原子冷却提供世界领先的微型光学系统。这种创新的方法将产生一种超冷锶原子源，适用于提供参照原子标准的高度精确的时间。最终，这项技术可以应用于完全隔离的时钟，能够在未来自动驾驶汽车和关键基础设施网络的核心提供超越gnss的授时标准。