Adelaide University researchers have successfully tested a new type of portable atomic clock at sea for the first time, using technology that could help power the next generation of navigation, communications and scientific systems.
The research team, from the Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS), developed the highly precise device and trialled it aboard a vessel provided by the Royal Australian Navy in July 2024. They have reported their breakthrough in a recently published paper.
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Atomic clocks are the world’s most accurate timekeepers and are essential for technologies such as GPS navigation, telecommunications networks and radio astronomy. However, most high-performance atomic clocks operate in carefully controlled laboratory environments and aren’t designed to be easily transported or used in challenging real-world conditions. The newly developed device changes that.
Photonics researchers created a portable optical atomic clock that uses laser-cooled atoms of the element ytterbium to keep time with extreme precision. By cooling the atoms with lasers and measuring a very specific atomic transition, the clock can track time far more accurately than conventional systems.
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Professor André Luiten, IPAS chief innovator and lead researcher on the project, said the goal was to take cutting-edge laboratory technology and make it usable in the field. ‘Atomic clocks underpin many of the technologies we rely on every day, from satellite navigation to global communications,’ he said. ‘Until now, the most precise clocks have largely been confined to specialised labs. Our work shows that this kind of performance can be achieved in a portable system that operates outside the laboratory.’
The device was transported from the laboratory and installed on a naval vessel, where it operated continuously for several days while the ship was at sea. Despite the motion and environmental changes typical of a maritime environment, the clock maintained the same high level of performance observed during laboratory testing.
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To the team’s knowledge, this is the first time a laser-cooled optical atomic clock has been demonstrated at sea. ‘Testing the clock on a ship was a major milestone,’ Professor Luiten said. ‘The marine environment presents vibration, movement and temperature changes that are very different from a controlled laboratory. Successfully running the clock in those conditions shows that the technology is robust and ready to move closer to real-world applications.’
Portable atomic clocks are attracting increasing global interest because of their wide range of potential uses. In navigation, highly precise clocks could support future positioning systems that work even when satellite signals are unavailable or disrupted. In telecommunications, they could improve the synchronisation of large networks that transmit enormous volumes of data every second. Scientists could also use them in fields such as radio astronomy, where extremely accurate timing helps link observations from telescopes around the world.
Professor Luiten said the project highlights the importance of collaboration between universities and government agencies in advancing critical technologies. ‘Developing practical quantum technologies such as portable atomic clocks requires a combination of fundamental science, engineering and real-world testing. This trial shows that Australia has the expertise to build world-leading precision timing technologies that could benefit both scientific research and future industries.’
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The team is now working to further refine the technology and explore additional field deployments, with the aim of making portable ultra-precise clocks available for a range of scientific, commercial and defence applications in the years ahead.
The research has been published in Optica.