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Optical and Quantum Sensing and Precision Metrology II

Trapped ion atomic clocks for space and ultra-stable ground applications

Eric A. Burt

Published Mar 9, 2022• 0 citations
Publisher
DOI
10.1117/12.2617009

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Abstract Atomic clocks, which lock the frequency of an oscillator to the extremely stable quantized energy levels of atoms, are essential for navigation applications such as deep space exploration1 and the Global Positioning System (GPS)2 and as scientific tools for addressing questions in fundamental physics3,4,5,6. Atomic clocks that can be launched into space are an enabling technology for GPS, but to date have not been applied to deep space navigation and have seen only limited application to scientific questions due to performance constraints imposed by the rigors of space launch and operation7. The invention of methods to electromagnetically trap and cool ions has revolutionized atomic clock performance8,9,10,11,12,13. Terrestrial trapped ion clocks have achieved orders of magnitude improvements in performance over their predecessors and have become a key component in national metrology laboratories13. However, transporting this new technology into space has remained elusive. Here we show the results from the first-ever trapped ion atomic clock to operate in space. Launched in 2019, NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) has operated for more than 12 months, demonstrating a short-term fractional frequency stability of between 1 and 2 x 10-13 at 1 second of averaging time (measured on the ground), a long-term stability of 3 x 10-15 at 23 days, and an estimated drift of 3.0(0.7) x 10-16 per day. Each of these exceeds current space clock performance by as much as an order of magnitude14,15,16. We found the DSAC clock to be particularly amenable to the space environment, having low sensitivities to variations in radiation, temperature, and magnetic fields, and we were able to characterize these in detail. This level of space clock performance will enable new types of space navigation. In particular, the DSAC mission has demonstrated a process called one-way navigation whereby signal delay times are measured in-situ making near-real-time deep space probe navigation possible17.

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Over the past decade, trapped ion atomic clock development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has focused on two directions: 1) new atomic clock technology for space flight applications that require strict adherence to size, weight, and power requirements, and 2) ultra-stable atomic clocks, usually for terrestrial applications emphasizing ultimate performance. In this paper we present a new ultra-stable trapped ion clock designed, built, and tested in the second category. The first new standard, L10, will be delivered to the Naval Research Laboratory for use in characterizing DoD space clocks.
In the mid-20th century, atoms were realized to be good candidates for time or frequency standards since transition energies or frequencies between two energy levels of some unperturbed atoms are more stable than those defined by the rotation of the earth or artefact-based clocks such as quartz crystal clocks. This motivated extensive research on realization and improvement of such kind of quantum-based time or frequency standards. The ultra-stable laser, referred to as a local oscillator in a clock, still drifts over time due to environmentally induced length fluctuations of the reference cavity. With the development of ion traps, ultra-narrow linewidth lasers and optical frequency combs, optical clocks based on single trapped ions as a new type of clocks have been realized in many laboratories. Ions can only stay in the trap within a certain region, which is called stability region. There is a variety of potential sources of systematic shifts associated with the clock transition in ion optical clocks.
Abstract Atomic clocks, which lock the frequency of an oscillator to the extremely stable quantized energy levels of atoms, are essential for navigation applications such as deep space exploration1 and the Global Positioning System (GPS)2 and as scientific tools for addressing questions in fundamental physics3,4,5,6. Atomic clocks that can be launched into space are an enabling technology for GPS, but to date have not been applied to deep space navigation and have seen only limited application to scientific questions due to performance constraints imposed by the rigors of space launch and operation7. The invention of methods to electromagnetically trap and cool ions has revolutionized atomic clock performance8,9,10,11,12,13. Terrestrial trapped ion clocks have achieved orders of magnitude improvements in performance over their predecessors and have become a key component in national metrology laboratories13. However, transporting this new technology into space has remained elusive. Here we show the results from the first-ever trapped ion atomic clock to operate in space. Launched in 2019, NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) has operated for more than 12 months, demonstrating a short-term fractional frequency stability of between 1 and 2 x 10-13 at 1 second of averaging time (measured on the ground), a long-term stability of 3 x 10-15 at 23 days, and an estimated drift of 3.0(0.7) x 10-16 per day. Each of these exceeds current space clock performance by as much as an order of magnitude14,15,16. We found the DSAC clock to be particularly amenable to the space environment, having low sensitivities to variations in radiation, temperature, and magnetic fields, and we were able to characterize these in detail. This level of space clock performance will enable new types of space navigation. In particular, the DSAC mission has demonstrated a process called one-way navigation whereby signal delay times are measured in-situ making near-real-time deep space probe navigation possible17.