COALESCe - COmpAct Light Engines for Strontium Clocks
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Strathclyde
Department Name: Inst of Photonics
Abstract
A large number of applications, including those in research, defence, and finance require compact optical clocks that retain
their accuracy and reliability for lower costs and footprints than existing systems. Optical clocks are capable of better
stability and lower uncertainty than the current standard of time; however, each clock requires a range of lasers with
demanding requirements specific to the atomic species at the heart of the clock. Neutral strontium is one of the most
widely used atoms. It has a key transition that must be addressed using a laser source with emission wavelength at 461nm,
power >1W and linewidth (spectral purity) <32MHz. Currently researchers must use expensive or inadequate laser
sources to meet these requirements. In this project we will meet all the above requirements of neutral strontium in a low
cost, compact system based on semiconductor disk laser (SDL) technology. The advantageous properties of SDLs for
tunable, narrow linewidth operation have previously been demonstrated in the laboratory; however, their potential to
address wavelengths of interest for optical clocks, and moreover to achieve this in a compact commercial format, have yet
to be realised. We will engineer a stabilised, narrow linewidth 922nm SDL with frequency doubling to 461nm within the
cost and volume parameters required for strontium optical clock-based systems to emerge from the research laboratory
and address applications in the field.
their accuracy and reliability for lower costs and footprints than existing systems. Optical clocks are capable of better
stability and lower uncertainty than the current standard of time; however, each clock requires a range of lasers with
demanding requirements specific to the atomic species at the heart of the clock. Neutral strontium is one of the most
widely used atoms. It has a key transition that must be addressed using a laser source with emission wavelength at 461nm,
power >1W and linewidth (spectral purity) <32MHz. Currently researchers must use expensive or inadequate laser
sources to meet these requirements. In this project we will meet all the above requirements of neutral strontium in a low
cost, compact system based on semiconductor disk laser (SDL) technology. The advantageous properties of SDLs for
tunable, narrow linewidth operation have previously been demonstrated in the laboratory; however, their potential to
address wavelengths of interest for optical clocks, and moreover to achieve this in a compact commercial format, have yet
to be realised. We will engineer a stabilised, narrow linewidth 922nm SDL with frequency doubling to 461nm within the
cost and volume parameters required for strontium optical clock-based systems to emerge from the research laboratory
and address applications in the field.
Planned Impact
The following groups will be amongst the main beneficiaries of this project, with impact in the scientific community, the
economic sector, the military, and society:
Academic community working in quantum science and spectroscopy (scientific) - see 'Academic Beneficiaries'.
Nascent quantum technology industry (scientific, economic, society) - The UK has set the challenge for the
commercialisation of quantum technology. This will only be achieved through the development of a supply chain for the
key components, such as the laser systems to be developed and marketed as a result of this project. The consortium will
engage with the quantum technology community to ensure compatibility of the laser system for integration.
Satellite-free navigation (military) - Portable and accurate clocks are required to improve the navigational accuracy of
submarines, currently ~2km accuracy over 24 hours, to around 100m over months. This will be achieved with the
implementation of compact and robust optical clock systems enabled by these laser sources.
Finance sector (economic, society) - Latencies within electronic trading platforms lead to significant losses, e.g. a
microsecond of latency can lead to losses of several million $. The development of accurate, cost effective, and practical
optical clock systems, enabled by these laser sources, is expected to lead to their wide application in stock exchanges
around the world.
Collaboration and exploitation:
This project will build on the successful working relationship between the Institute of Photonics (IoP), the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, and M Squared Lasers Ltd, and expand its scope to encompass the IoP's pioneering research in the
field of semiconductor disk lasers supported by previous and current EPSRC grants. This project will transfer the
knowledge and skills of these leading research groups to industry, strengthen industry access to an established academic
network, and thus enhance the expertise and reach of a rapidly growing UK company. Similarly, this project will expose the
academics of the IoP to the requirements of industry in a highly relevant sector, thus informing the direction of future
applied research.
This consortium will enable a UK company (M Squared) to be the first to market with a core component for quantum
technology. Following the developments in this project, M Squared will commercialise and manufacture the lasers in
Glasgow and market them via their established sales and marketing channels across Europe, Asia and the US. The
quantum technology research community has been identified as an early route for exploitation. Particularly in the UK, this
community has the parallel objective, supported by the EPSRC Quantum Technology Hub initiative, to develop commercial
quantum technology systems. The lasers developed by this consortium will form a key component of the supply chain
necessary to achieve this goal and ensure the impact of the Hubs.
economic sector, the military, and society:
Academic community working in quantum science and spectroscopy (scientific) - see 'Academic Beneficiaries'.
Nascent quantum technology industry (scientific, economic, society) - The UK has set the challenge for the
commercialisation of quantum technology. This will only be achieved through the development of a supply chain for the
key components, such as the laser systems to be developed and marketed as a result of this project. The consortium will
engage with the quantum technology community to ensure compatibility of the laser system for integration.
Satellite-free navigation (military) - Portable and accurate clocks are required to improve the navigational accuracy of
submarines, currently ~2km accuracy over 24 hours, to around 100m over months. This will be achieved with the
implementation of compact and robust optical clock systems enabled by these laser sources.
Finance sector (economic, society) - Latencies within electronic trading platforms lead to significant losses, e.g. a
microsecond of latency can lead to losses of several million $. The development of accurate, cost effective, and practical
optical clock systems, enabled by these laser sources, is expected to lead to their wide application in stock exchanges
around the world.
Collaboration and exploitation:
This project will build on the successful working relationship between the Institute of Photonics (IoP), the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, and M Squared Lasers Ltd, and expand its scope to encompass the IoP's pioneering research in the
field of semiconductor disk lasers supported by previous and current EPSRC grants. This project will transfer the
knowledge and skills of these leading research groups to industry, strengthen industry access to an established academic
network, and thus enhance the expertise and reach of a rapidly growing UK company. Similarly, this project will expose the
academics of the IoP to the requirements of industry in a highly relevant sector, thus informing the direction of future
applied research.
This consortium will enable a UK company (M Squared) to be the first to market with a core component for quantum
technology. Following the developments in this project, M Squared will commercialise and manufacture the lasers in
Glasgow and market them via their established sales and marketing channels across Europe, Asia and the US. The
quantum technology research community has been identified as an early route for exploitation. Particularly in the UK, this
community has the parallel objective, supported by the EPSRC Quantum Technology Hub initiative, to develop commercial
quantum technology systems. The lasers developed by this consortium will form a key component of the supply chain
necessary to achieve this goal and ensure the impact of the Hubs.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Jennifer Hastie (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Guzman B
(2020)
Reflection-Based Relaying Techniques in Visible Light Communications: Will it Work?
in IEEE Access
Description | This was an Innovate UK project, led by M Squared Lasers with the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics and our group at the University of Strathclyde as partners. As the academic partner in the project, our main objective was to see the successful transfer of our high coherence semiconductor laser research through to industry. Our research in this area was primarily developed over the course of an EPSRC Challenging Engineering Award and this project has allowed us to increase the impact of this research and enable a significant step towards UK commercialisation that we would not otherwise have been able to achieve. The laser performance objectives, defined in collaboration with M Squared Lasers Ltd in order to meet the requirements of quantum technologies, were met by the end of the project. In addition we have been able to strengthen our engagement with industry, better understand industry requirements, and have created opportunities for further technology transfer and impact from our related publicly-funded research in this area beyond the lifetime of this project. |
Exploitation Route | This project has led directly to a second Innovate award with Fraunhofer CAP, led by M Squared Lasers Ltd, and the partners are already discussing opportunities for transfer of some of the other laser technology developed by our group. The objective of M Squared Lasers Ltd is to develop a laser product based on this technology for academics and industry working in the area of quantum technology. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) |
Description | This project was led by laser company M Squared Lasers Ltd who will use the findings of this work in their development of laser products of quantum technology applications. Benefits are therefore expected for UK laser industry and other UK industries that benefit from developments in the laser supply chain. |
First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) |
Impact Types | Economic |
Description | COCLES - Technology Strategy Board: Accelerating the Commercial Exploitation of Quantum Technologies |
Amount | £206,559 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 102667 |
Organisation | Innovate UK |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2016 |
End | 07/2017 |
Description | Attendance and presentation at the Quantum Technology Hub Industry Event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | David Paboeuf attended the event: "Quantum Sensors - Opportunities and applications for industry" hosted by the UK National Quantum Technology Hub for Sensors and Metrology at the University of Birmingham. David presented a poster to the industry attendees, summarising the research of the Hastie group at the University of Strathclyde under the the Technology Hub and the Innovate project COALESCe. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2016 |
Description | Exhibitor at the National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2020 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Presentation and virtual exhibit on the novel laser systems being developed for quantum technology in the Underpinning Technologies work package of the National Quantum Technologies Hub for Sensing and Timing. Interaction with other academic groups, industry, and policy makers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Invited speaker / panel member for KTN event: "Photonics for Quantum Technology" |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Invited speaker and panel member for webinar organised by KTN: "Photonics for Quantum Applications - This webinar will examine the UK photonics scene as applied to quantum technology, will consider various applications of photonics in quantum, and will provide an overview of the UK quantum landscape and funding opportunities for quantum technology." Gave a talk on "Semiconductor disk lasers for cold-atom quantum technology" to an online audience of more than 100 people from industry, academia, government/funders. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Lasers for Quantum Technology Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The workshop has the aim of bringing together the UK quantum technology community to discuss the laser requirements for the UK Quantum Technology Programme and also advertise to the UK Quantum Technology community the laser research presently being undertaken in the four Quantum Technology Hubs. The event has the aim of developing a roadmap for lasers in quantum technology for the UK Quantum Technology programme. The aim is to also link the work and requirements to UK industry to aid the translation and development of the laser systems required for key Quantum Technology applications in the UK programme. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Organiser and chair/moderator of panel event at SPIE Photonics West, San Francisco, February 2020 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | As Chair of the VECSELs conference at SPIE Photonics West I organised a special event: "VECSELs 10th Anniversary Panel: Future Directions for Research and Applications." The panelists were Juan L. Chilla (Coherent Inc., United States), Prof Arnaud Garnache (Univ. de Montpellier, France), Prof Mircea Guina (Tampere Univ. and VEXLUM Ltd., Finland), Prof Ursula Keller (ETH Zurich, Switzerland), and Prof Wolfgang Stolz (Philipps-Univ. Marburg and NAsP III/V GmbH, Germany). The panelists addressed the following questions as well as questions from the audience: 1. How do we develop a reliable and diverse VECSEL material supply chain to enable industry to exploit this technology? 2. What are the challenges/research questions in engineering VECSELs and SESAMs for longevity/reliability? 3. Have we optimised the wall-plug efficiency of these lasers? 4. What are the best routes to supply/source custom VECSELs for academic research/applications in other fields? 5. What could industry/stakeholders see coming out of VECSEL research in the next few years? Hot topics? This event was well attended by conference attendees from both academia and industry. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Participation in the EPSRC Quantum Technology Visit to the University of Strathclyde |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Participated in the meeting with the EPSRC Quantum Technology team and presented the research of the group in the area of narrow linewidth lasers for quantum technologies. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Participation in the National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Presented an exhibit at the National Quantum Technologies Showcase on "Semiconductor disk lasers for quantum technologies." Presented the semiconductor disk laser technology and the research work developed at Universities of Strathclyde and Southampton under the UK National Technology Hub for Sensors and Metrology. Also highlighted the technology transfer, carried out in partnership with the Fraunhofer Centre of Applied Photonics, to industry partners, like M Squared Lasers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Participation in the National Quantum Technologies Showcase 2018 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Presented an exhibit at the National Quantum Technologies Showcase on "Semiconductor disk lasers for quantum technologies." Presented the semiconductor disk laser technology and the research work developed at the Universities of Strathclyde and Southampton under the UK National Quantum Technology Hub for Sensors and Metrology. Also highlighted the technology transfer carried out in partnership with the Fraunhofer Centre of Applied Photonics, to industry partners like M Squared Lasers Ltd. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Participation in the Strathclyde Symposium on Quantum Information, Simulation and Metrology |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Attendance at the Strathclyde Symposium on Quantum Information, Simulation and Metrology, an informal workshop in the next generation quantum technologies carried out across the Institute of Photonics and Optics divisions at Strathclyde. Group member David Paboeuf presented a poster on the research of the group in the area of narrow linewidth semiconductor lasers for quantum technology. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Participation in the Strathclyde and Nanyang Technological University Industry Symposium |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Participation in the Strathclyde-NTU-Industry Symposium, "Innovation and Impact: How Global Research Partnerships can Power Successful Technological Economies". Presented the research and knowledge transfer activities of our group in the area of narrow linewidth semiconductor lasers for quantum technologies. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |