Frequency standards based on hollow core fibres and micro-fabricated opto-electronic components

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Atomic clock and other frequency standards are behind-the-scenes technologies that enable many familiar systems fundamental to modern living standards such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and mobile communications. Presently we depend on large scale instruments to provide these standards. This proposal is about developing miniature versions of these instruments - ideally, the miniaturisation could go down to chip-scale.The chip-scale standards would use a version of the optical fibres already used in long haul communications - the new version has the glass central core of the fibre hollowed out and replaced with atomic gas vapour such caesium atomic vapour or molecular gases such as acetylene. These are called hollow core fibres and the gases at the centre of these fibres provide the basis of the new frequency and clock standards. The hollow core fibres are vital but they are only one part of the system and new mircoscale components are being developed as part of this proposal that will mean that the whole standard will be compact, reliable robust and low powered.These reliable, compact and low powered chip-scale standards will not only greatly improve GPS and mobile communications but will also allow new applications to come into existence. For example, highly sensitive magnetometers based on these standards can be used in imaging the electrical activity of the brain and heart and will replace the large cumbersome technology presently employed -to the point where in 10 years time brain and heart imaging could be available in a GP's surgery.