Demonstration of a timescale based on a stable optical carrier

Milner, W. R. et al. (2019) Demonstration of a timescale based on a stable optical carrier. Physical Review Letters, 123(17), 173201. (doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.173201)

Abstract

We report on the first timescale based entirely on optical technology. Existing timescales, including those incorporating optical frequency standards, rely exclusively on microwave local oscillators owing to the lack of an optical oscillator with the required frequency predictability and stability for reliable steering. We combine a cryogenic silicon cavity exhibiting improved long-term stability and an accurate 87 Sr lattice clock to form a timescale that outperforms them all. Our timescale accumulates an estimated time error of only 48 ± 94     ps over 34 days of operation. Our analysis indicates that this timescale is capable of reaching a stability below 1 × 10 − 17 after a few months of averaging, making timekeeping at the 10 − 18 level a realistic prospect.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Oelker, Dr Eric
• Authors: Milner, W. R., Robinson, J. M., Kennedy, C. J., Bothwell, T., Kedar, D., Matei, D. G., Legero, T., Sterr, U., Riehle, F., Leopardi, H., Fortier, T. M., Sherman, J. A., Levine, J., Yao, J., Ye, J., and Oelker, E.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Physics and Astronomy
• Journal Name: Physical Review Letters
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• ISSN: 0031-9007
• ISSN (Online): 1079-7114
• Published Online: 21 October 2019
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2019 American Physical Society
• First Published: First published in Physical Review Letters 123(17): 173201
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

Related URLs

• Pre-print