Descripción del proyecto
Un estudio más detallado de los relojes ópticos de próxima generación
Un reloj óptico marca la hora utilizando la luz en resonancia con una transición atómica óptica. Es el tipo de reloj más preciso, cien veces más exacto que los relojes atómicos tradicionales por microondas. Dar estos relojes de laboratorio una forma robusta y compacta repercutirá de forma considerable en numerosos campos, como las telecomunicaciones, la geología y la astronomía. En este contexto, el proyecto iqClock, financiado con fondos europeos, reunirá a los principales expertos del mundo académico, socios industriales fuertes y usuarios finales relevantes para poner en marcha una línea de desarrollo de relojes. El consorcio servirá de centro para establecer un ecosistema europeo de relojes ópticos. El primer prototipo de producto será un reloj óptico de estroncio listo para usar. Se basará en un concepto modular que ya tendrá en cuenta los relojes de próxima generación.
Objetivo
Optical clocks are amazingly stable frequency standards, which would be off by only one second over the age of the universe. Bringing those clocks from the laboratory into a robust and compact form will have a large impact on telecommunication (e.g. network synchronization, traffic bandwidth, GPS free navigation), geology (e.g. underground exploration, monitoring of water tables or ice sheets), astronomy (e.g. low-frequency gravitational wave detection, radio telescope synchronization), and other fields. Likewise, techniques developed for robust clocks will improve laboratory clocks, potentially leading to physics beyond the standard model. To make this a reality, we have founded the iqClock consortium, assembling leading experts from academia, strong industry partners, and relevant end users. We will seize on recent developments in clock concepts and technology to start-up a clock development pipeline along the TRL scale. Our consortium represents a nucleus for a European optical clock ecosystem, which will continuously deliver competitive products and foster the development of clock applications. Our first product prototype will be a field-ready strontium optical clock, which we will benchmark in real use cases, such as network synchronization (TRL 6). This clock will be based on a modular concept, already with the next-generation clocks in mind, which our academic partners will realize (TRL 3-4). By their operation principle, these optical clocks are more robust than the current ones and have come into reach by recent breakthroughs, some of which achieved by our partners. We will leverage the foundational work by the consortia QuantERA Q-Clocks and JRP f17 USOQS, which have joined partners with us, and translate their work into a higher TRL. To increase our impact and to broaden our industry base, we will reach out to all stakeholders, train the next generation of quantum engineers, educate and listen to end users, and enrich the exchange of scientific ideas.
Ámbito científico
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyobservational astronomygravitational waves
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkaline earth metals
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyobservational astronomyradio astronomy
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeology
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-FETFLAG-2018-03
Régimen de financiación
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinador
1012WX Amsterdam
Países Bajos