Horloges atomiques et senseurs quantiques miniature
| Responsable du projet |
Gaetano Mileti
Anja Skrivervik Nicolaas De Rooij Herbert Shea Thomas Maeder |
| Collaborateur |
Matthieu Pellaton
Nathalie Serra Francesco Merli Maddalena Violetti Fabrizio Vecchio Christoph Affolderbach Yves Pétremand Vinu Venkatraman Rahel Strässle André Cornu |
| Résumé |
Atomic clocks today have become widespread tools in several fields
of our daily life. For example, they are used to maintain the
official timescales, to synchronize telecommunication networks, and
they are at the heart of satellite navigation systems. In an atomic
clock, the frequency of a quartz oscillator is stabilized to an
atomic microwave transition that serves as a stable reference. In
this way, sudden jumps or slow drifts of the quartz frequency are
corrected and its stability is improved. Then, by counting a
certain number of the quartz frequency cycles, the precise duration
of a second can be established. In this project we address
miniaturized atomic clocks that may finally have a volume of one
cubic centimetre only, can be powered over extended time from
standard batteries, and still show frequency stabilities several
orders of magnitude better compared to a standard quartz. Such
miniature atomic clocks may find applications in a wide variety of
applications on ground and in space: satellite navigation and
positioning, secure telecommunications, enhanced functionalities in
mobile equipment, and others. On a longer time scale, the developed
building blocks may constitute the basic components of other
quantum sensors (atomic magnetometers, atomic gyroscopes, etc.) or
future quantum communication systems. The main objective of the
research is not primarily an integrated functioning atomic clock,
but focuses on more prospective scientific studies on selected
relevant topics and challenges that may lead to separate more
product-oriented developments. The five involved research teams
will - both independently and jointly - pursue the following
investigations towards novel clock components and schemes, aiming
at completely new solutions: New cell manufacture and filling
techniques; new schemes for coupling the microwave to the atoms;
new solutions for the light source and optical excitation of the
atoms; evaluation of the interoperation of the new components in a
clock; new strategies for overall clock integration (packaging) of
the components and lifetime-limiting effects. The teams involved in
this project have taken first steps to develop building blocks for a
miniature atomic clock since 2005. This collaborative work is mainly
focused on the development and testing of micro-fabricated rubidium
vapour cells and overall physics package and is carried out in the
frame of national as well as international research programs:
CIMENT (2006-2008 financed by CUS), mUSO (2007-2009 financed by the
European Space Agency), and MAC-TFC (2008-2011 financed by EU
through the 7th framework program) in view of a future valorisation
of the results. |
| Mots-clés |
Atomic clocks, Laser spectroscopy, Micro fabrication, Vapour cells, Frequency standards, Rubidium atomic vapours, MEMS & MOEMS, Double resonance, Microwave guiding structures |
| Type de projet | Recherche fondamentale |
| Domaine de recherche | Autres secteurs de la physique |
| Source de financement | FNS - SINERGIA |
| Etat | Terminé |
| Début de projet | 1-6-2009 |
| Fin du projet | 30-11-2012 |
| Budget alloué | CHF 1'997'184.00 |
| Autre information |
http://p3.snf.ch/projects-122693# U.01648 |
| Contact | Gaetano Mileti |