Frequency-comb-based digital clockwork for next-generation optical clocks

这项提议旨在开发光学时钟装置，即用于从光学时钟读出时间的系统。光学钟使用非常稳定的激光，参考孤立原子或多个原子的跃迁频率来提供非常精细和准确的时间细分。它的精度来自于与通常的射频振荡器相比，光的振荡频率非常高，但这也使得读取时钟变得困难，因为频率对于传统的电子手段来说太高了。由于这些光学钟已经实现了更好的时间测量，并可能很快在时间和频率标准上取代射频原子钟，因此我们开发支持它们的基本技术是非常重要的。

This proposal aims to develop optical clockworks, the systems used to read out the time from an optical clock. An optical clock uses a very stable laser, referenced to an isolated atom’s or multiple atoms’ transition frequency to provide very fine and accurate subdivisions of time. Its precision comes from the very high frequency of oscillation of light compared to usual radio frequency oscillators, but this also makes it difficult to read the clock because the frequency is too high for conventional electronic means. Since these optical clocks already enable better time measurements and are likely to soon replace radio frequency atomic clock in time and frequency standards, it is very important that we develop the basic technology to support them.