First quantum atomic clock on manoeuvres
The world’s first quantum atomic clock has been fitted to a UK aircraft carrier to help improve the accuracy of its positioning.
The HMS Prince of Wales is carrying a quantum atomic clock developed with Teledyne e2v as it sails for Norway to take part in the largest military exercise in a generation in the Arctic.
The quantum clock has been reduced to the size of a laptop an d provides a highly-accurate time signal which will allow the ship’s complex combat systems to synchronise should the more traditional GPS signal fail.
“The Royal Navy and Teledyne have shown that bringing customers, industry and experts together can accelerate sovereign technology for the benefit of the country,” said Lieutenant Colonel Scott Wallace RM, of the Royal Navy Office of the Chief Technology Officer. “Putting leading-edge quantum equipment into the front line is a game changer for the UK.”
The Royal Navy is looking to become less reliant on GPS for timing signals and is the first time this technology has been used on a surface ship. The reduction in size gives the potential to be used by other ships in the Fleet as well as being carried by the Royal Marines Commandos.
E2v in Chelmsford, UK, was part of the Horizon 2020 iqClock project to commercialise high-precision atomic clocks. A team of 30 at e2v built the atomics package including the vacuum and control system using a superradient laser.
“Optical atomic clocks are the most precise time-telling tools known to man,” said Dr Ole Kock, Technical Authority for Quantum Technologies at Teledyne e2v. “The challenge is their size and complexity that restricts them to laboratory use. Now, by using superradient laser technology we can help bring optical atomic clocks into the everyday world.”
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