Horizon Europe Project
„Chip-scale atomic Clock (CSOC)”
C-SOC wants to make a chip-scale atomic optical clock by integrating the scheme in Figure 3 on a single silicon nitride chip. Here, an on-chip mode-locked laser at 1310 nm is used to pump a silicon nitride resonator. The generated octave-spanning comb is sent to a 1f-to-2f on-chip interferometer to determine the carrier-envelope offset of the comb through self-referencing. Further, the light of an on-chip frequency-doubled narrow linewidth Distributed Feedback (DFB) laser is locked to an Rb transition in vapor as a second reference. These error signals, together with the comb's repetition rate frequency, allow to synthesize the clock signal.
The addition of a Widening Partner (Unipress) to the C-SOC consortium introduces a novel dimension to the project. The consortium will get access to visible light emitters based on Gallium Nitride (GaN), covering a broader wavelength range from 390 nm to 520 nm. This band is of utmost interest to the project as many electronic transitions can be found in this band. A specific focus will be dedicated to the integration of a laser diode operating at 461nm into the CSOC photonic circuits. Laser diodes operating at 461 nm are essential for Doppler cooling of Sr ions, a prerequisite for the construction of compact, ultimate precision optical atomic clocks. The development of a compact, robust, and potentially space-ready strontium-based atomic clock may lead to technological breakthroughs in various fields.
Website: CSOC Project
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