A clock made of light

Timekeeping is of great importance in all areas of science and daily life. As an example, the location accuracy of common navigation systems depends on the quality of the local time measurement. The best time measurement devices are currently atomic clocks, but their unmatched precision and absolute accuracy are associated with very high cost and complexity. Cheap and simple systems, such as quartz crystals, are compact and robust, but many orders of magnitude less accurate, and with far worse long-term stability. This project will examine systems made of photonic waveguides that are robust and compact, but could have significantly better stability and accuracy than common oscillators. Different variants of such systems will be produced and tested for their long-term stability and sensitivity to disturbances. The project`s findings will enable the development of low-cost, high-precision photonic timekeeping devices that can approach the performance of atomic systems.

Timekeeping is of great importance in all areas of science and daily life. As an example, the location accuracy of common navigation systems depends on the quality of the local time measurement. The best time measurement devices are currently atomic clocks, but their unmatched precision and absolute accuracy are associated with very high cost and complexity. Cheap and simple systems, such as quartz crystals, are compact and robust, but many orders of magnitude less accurate, and with far worse long-term stability. This project will examine systems made of photonic waveguides that are robust and compact, but could have significantly better stability and accuracy than common oscillators. Different variants of such systems will be produced and tested for their long-term stability and sensitivity to disturbances. The project's findings will enable the development of low-cost, high-precision photonic timekeeping devices that can approach the performance of atomic systems.