Abstract
A global network of optical atomic clocks will enable unprecedented measurement precision in fields including tests of fundamental physics, dark matter searches, geodesy, and navigation. Free-space laser links through the turbulent atmosphere are needed to fully exploit this global network, by enabling comparisons to airborne and spaceborne clocks. We demonstrate frequency transfer over a 2.4 km atmospheric link with turbulence comparable to that of a ground-to-space link, achieving a fractional frequency stability of in 300 s of integration time. We also show that clock comparison between ground and low Earth orbit will be limited by the stability of the clocks themselves after only a few seconds of integration. This significantly advances the technologies needed to realize a global timescale network of optical atomic clocks.
- Received 24 June 2021
- Accepted 2 December 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.020801
© 2022 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Focus
Laser Propagating through Air Sets Stability Record
Published 14 January 2022
An optical link for communication between distant atomic clocks is 100 times more stable than previous links and could enable new precision tests of general relativity.
See more in Physics