Quantum Fibre Clock (QFC)

"There is clear evidence of Quantum innovation from two key publications -- The UK Blackett report published by the Government Office for Science on 'The Quantum Age: Technological Opportunities' and the EU Report 'Quantum Manifesto'. These both address the growing importance of quantum technology and in particular for the development of future atomic clocks.

Atomic clocks offer unparalleled accuracy and stability without dependence on GPS. At present, many applications in the defence, broadcast and financial industries are vulnerable to jamming, spoofing or errors in the GPS system itself. The Quantum Fibre Clock (QFC) project will use hollow-core optical fibre filled with caesium vapour to produce an atomic clock which is smaller, lighter and more efficient than existing technologies. QFC will capitalise on UK momentum to stay ahead and give the UK a competitive advantage in the market place.

The project will research the evolution of the hollow core fibre quantum research invented and undertaken by University of Bath in partnership with TMD Technologies Ltd and led by SME Chronos Technology Ltd. The previous research has concentrated on manufacturing an efficient hollow core fibre architecture, filling with rubidium vapour to create the physics package and developing the interface electronics to enable stability testing at 10 MHz and 1PPS.

This project will concentrate on the filling of the hollow core fibre with caesium, and subsequent creation of a working prototype clock and a small quantity of demonstrators. These will be used to inform prospective users that the technology is viable and enable testing in appropriate applications and environmental conditions such as temperature, pressure, shock and vibration."