You are currently viewing the abstract.
View Full TextLog in to view the full text
AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.
More options
Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.
Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.
Good timing for microwave technology
Timing standards around the world define the second using atomic clocks, specifically the microwave frequencies emitted from trapped atoms. Optical clocks, which are based on optical transitions of atoms, operate at much higher frequency and have been shown to exhibit better stability. Nakamura et al. demonstrate a framework that carries the improved stability of the optical domain over to microwaves (see the Perspective by Curtis). In addition to contributing to the eventual redefinition of the second based on optical clocks, this work will also lead to improvements in microwave-based technologies such as astronomical imaging and geodesy through very long baseline interferometry, radar, communications, and navigation systems.
Abstract
Optical atomic clocks are poised to redefine the Système International (SI) second, thanks to stability and accuracy more than 100 times better than the current microwave atomic clock standard. However, the best optical clocks have not seen their performance transferred to the electronic domain, where radar, navigation, communications, and fundamental research rely on less stable microwave sources. By comparing two independent optical-to-electronic signal generators, we demonstrate a 10-gigahertz microwave signal with phase that exactly tracks that of the optical clock phase from which it is derived, yielding an absolute fractional frequency instability of 1 × 10−18 in the electronic domain. Such faithful reproduction of the optical clock phase expands the opportunities for optical clocks both technologically and scientifically for time dissemination, navigation, and long-baseline interferometric imaging.
This is an article distributed under the terms of the Science Journals Default License.
