© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

International Conference on Digital Signal Processing and its Applications (DSPA)

Compact Microcontroller-Based Control System for Transportable Lattice Optical Clocks

Anastasia V. Semenko, Anton P. Vyalykh, Danil A. Paryohin, Denis V. Sutyrin

Published Mar 27, 2024• 1 citation

Abstract

In this paper, we present description and characteristics of a compact control system for the transportable optical lattice clocks. The hardware of this system is based on the STM32 microcontroller and the software with a graphical interface implemented by the Python software language. The control system has more than twenty digital outputs, ten analog outputs and the ability to connect the additional modules. This system provides the generation of the digital signals with a time resolution of 10 μs with a high synchronization accuracy when the digital-to-analog converter operates simultaneously with digital signals. We compared our custom the microcontroller-based system with the commercial Real-Time National Instruments system, which is often used in experiments with ultracold atoms. Experiments have shown that using both systems allows to cool 87Sr atoms to a temperature of ∼14 μK. This is enough to load the atoms into an optical lattice and to perform the clock transition spectroscopy.

DOI: 10.1109/dspa60853.2024.10510116

Related papers

A transportable strontium optical lattice clock

N. Poli, S. Vogt, St. Falke +3 more

Abstract We report on a transportable optical clock, based on laser-cooled strontium atoms trapped in an optical lattice. The experimental apparatus is composed of a compact source of ultra-cold strontium atoms including a compact cooling laser setup and a transportable ultra-stable laser for interrogating the optical clock transition. The whole setup (excluding electronics) fits within a volume of \\2 m3. The high degree of operation reliability of both systems allowed the spectroscopy of the clock transition to be performed with 10 Hz resolution. We estimate a relative uncertainty of the clock of 7 9 10-15. 1

•Jan 1, 2014•45 citations

A transportable strontium optical lattice clock towards space

Lyndsie Smith

This work presents the realisation and characterisation of the world’s smallest transportable optical lattice clock as part of the Space Optical Clocks 2 EU project built at the University of Birmingham. Housed in a transportable rack of dimensions 170 x 100 x 60 cm, such a device aims to measure the frequency of the doubly-forbidden 1S0−3P0 clock transition in 88Sr in an unprecedented compact apparatus as a major technological milestone towards an optical clock upon the International Space Station. A master optical clock in space would serve with unrivalled accuracy and stability to disseminate a precise and accurate reference for terrestrial clocks and the coordination of international time. Such a clock has the potential to redefine the second, revolutionise timekeeping and precision measurements, and perform fundamental science experiments in space. \nUsing a combination of novel design, innovative cooling techniques, and robust, compact commercially available products, the clock portability, robustness and operational simplicity have been improved. The apparatus simply and effectively cools and traps up to 105 88Sr atoms at a temperature of 1.3±0.2μK in an optical lattice with a lifetime of 0.52±0.01s within 400ms. The most recent preliminary clock spectroscopy measurement was 3.6 ± 0.2Hz. The instability of the clock has been measured at 8×10−17 after averaging for 300s with the goal instability being 5.8×10−17 within the same averaging time. These results show the experiment will lead transportable optical clock research and continue with the goal of being a master clock in space.

•Dec 1, 2016•4 citations

A Control Unit for the Thulium Optical Clock

Artem A. Golovizin, Vladimir V. Soshenko, Dmitry O. Tregubov +5 more

Abstract— A description and characteristics of the developed electronic control unit for laser cooling and an optical clock based on thulium atoms are presented. The form factor of the electronic control unit is compatible with a 19″ telecommunication rack. The electronic control unit includes a control module based on a single-board computer; modules of digital and analog outputs, RF synthesizers, current outputs, and thermistor inputs; and a feedback control module. The control program of the electronic control unit is launched on a built-in single-board computer and is available for connection from the local-area network with a web interface. The developed modules and the electronic control unit can be used in experiments on laser cooling of neutral atoms and ions as well as in quantum metrology and computers.

Instruments and Experimental Techniques•Dec 1, 2022•4 citations

A transportable optical lattice clock at the National Time Service Center*

Dehuan Kong, Zhi‐Hui Wang, Feng Guo +4 more

We report a transportable one-dimensional optical lattice clock based on 87Sr at the National Time Service Center. The transportable apparatus consists of a compact vacuum system and compact optical subsystems. The vacuum system with a size of 90 cm× 20 cm× 42 cm and the beam distributors are assembled on a double-layer optical breadboard. The modularized optical subsystems are integrated on independent optical breadboards. By using a 230 ms clock laser pulse, spin-polarized spectroscopy with a linewidth of 4.8 Hz is obtained which is close to the 3.9 Hz Fourier-limit linewidth. The time interleaved self-comparison frequency instability is determined to be 6.3 × 10–17 at an averaging time of 2000 s.

Chinese Physics B•May 13, 2020•20 citations

Embedded control system for mobile atom interferometers

Bola S. Malek, Zachary Pagel, Xiaojing Wu +1 more

Atom interferometers require precise control of digital, analog, and radio frequency signals for effective operation. In this paper, we propose and implement a control system for mobile atom interferometers. The system consists of a microcontroller and peripherals to synthesize radio frequency signals and to read or write analog signals. We use the system to operate a mobile atomic gravimeter by controlling 7 analog outputs, 16 digital outputs, 2 radio frequency channels, and 1 analog input. Our control system eliminates dead time between repetitions of the measurement and, consequently, improves the sampling rate of our atomic gravimeter, while maintaining the sensitivity per repetition compared to the system based on a desktop computer.

arXiv:1812.01028•Review of Scientific Instruments•Jul 1, 2019•18 citations

Compact 88Sr Optical Lattice Clock System with Metasurface Optics for Laser Cooling

Zheng Luo, Andrew R. Ferdinand, Sindhu Jammi +12 more

We demonstrate a scalable, integrated photonics infrastructure for compact optical clocks. In this alignment-free MOT 88Sr atoms are cooled to 3 µK and loaded into an optical lattice, ready for ultranarrow clock transition interrogation.

Frontiers in Optics•Jan 1, 2024•0 citations

In this paper, we present description and characteristics of a compact control system for the transportable optical lattice clocks. The hardware of this system is based on the STM32 microcontroller and the software with a graphical interface implemented by the Python software language. The control system has more than twenty digital outputs, ten analog outputs and the ability to connect the additional modules. This system provides the generation of the digital signals with a time resolution of 10 μs with a high synchronization accuracy when the digital-to-analog converter operates simultaneously with digital signals. We compared our custom the microcontroller-based system with the commercial Real-Time National Instruments system, which is often used in experiments with ultracold atoms. Experiments have shown that using both systems allows to cool 87Sr atoms to a temperature of ∼14 μK. This is enough to load the atoms into an optical lattice and to perform the clock transition spectroscopy.

Abstract We report on a transportable optical clock, based on laser-cooled strontium atoms trapped in an optical lattice. The experimental apparatus is composed of a compact source of ultra-cold strontium atoms including a compact cooling laser setup and a transportable ultra-stable laser for interrogating the optical clock transition. The whole setup (excluding electronics) fits within a volume of \\2 m3. The high degree of operation reliability of both systems allowed the spectroscopy of the clock transition to be performed with 10 Hz resolution. We estimate a relative uncertainty of the clock of 7 9 10-15. 1

This work presents the realisation and characterisation of the world’s smallest transportable optical lattice clock as part of the Space Optical Clocks 2 EU project built at the University of Birmingham. Housed in a transportable rack of dimensions 170 x 100 x 60 cm, such a device aims to measure the frequency of the doubly-forbidden 1S0−3P0 clock transition in 88Sr in an unprecedented compact apparatus as a major technological milestone towards an optical clock upon the International Space Station. A master optical clock in space would serve with unrivalled accuracy and stability to disseminate a precise and accurate reference for terrestrial clocks and the coordination of international time. Such a clock has the potential to redefine the second, revolutionise timekeeping and precision measurements, and perform fundamental science experiments in space. \nUsing a combination of novel design, innovative cooling techniques, and robust, compact commercially available products, the clock portability, robustness and operational simplicity have been improved. The apparatus simply and effectively cools and traps up to 105 88Sr atoms at a temperature of 1.3±0.2μK in an optical lattice with a lifetime of 0.52±0.01s within 400ms. The most recent preliminary clock spectroscopy measurement was 3.6 ± 0.2Hz. The instability of the clock has been measured at 8×10−17 after averaging for 300s with the goal instability being 5.8×10−17 within the same averaging time. These results show the experiment will lead transportable optical clock research and continue with the goal of being a master clock in space.

Abstract— A description and characteristics of the developed electronic control unit for laser cooling and an optical clock based on thulium atoms are presented. The form factor of the electronic control unit is compatible with a 19″ telecommunication rack. The electronic control unit includes a control module based on a single-board computer; modules of digital and analog outputs, RF synthesizers, current outputs, and thermistor inputs; and a feedback control module. The control program of the electronic control unit is launched on a built-in single-board computer and is available for connection from the local-area network with a web interface. The developed modules and the electronic control unit can be used in experiments on laser cooling of neutral atoms and ions as well as in quantum metrology and computers.

We report a transportable one-dimensional optical lattice clock based on 87Sr at the National Time Service Center. The transportable apparatus consists of a compact vacuum system and compact optical subsystems. The vacuum system with a size of 90 cm× 20 cm× 42 cm and the beam distributors are assembled on a double-layer optical breadboard. The modularized optical subsystems are integrated on independent optical breadboards. By using a 230 ms clock laser pulse, spin-polarized spectroscopy with a linewidth of 4.8 Hz is obtained which is close to the 3.9 Hz Fourier-limit linewidth. The time interleaved self-comparison frequency instability is determined to be 6.3 × 10–17 at an averaging time of 2000 s.

Atom interferometers require precise control of digital, analog, and radio frequency signals for effective operation. In this paper, we propose and implement a control system for mobile atom interferometers. The system consists of a microcontroller and peripherals to synthesize radio frequency signals and to read or write analog signals. We use the system to operate a mobile atomic gravimeter by controlling 7 analog outputs, 16 digital outputs, 2 radio frequency channels, and 1 analog input. Our control system eliminates dead time between repetitions of the measurement and, consequently, improves the sampling rate of our atomic gravimeter, while maintaining the sensitivity per repetition compared to the system based on a desktop computer.