131: Chip Scale Optical Atomic Clock for PNT applications

As for ground‑based high‑performance clocks, the exploitation of atomic optical transitions represents a promising approach to improving the accuracy and stability of very compact atomic clocks, down to 10 ns per day, with short‑ to medium‑term stability ten times better (or more) than existing products. 

While the main bottleneck of this technology lies in the availability of compact Photonics Integrated Circuit (PIC)‑based optical combs, the engineering of the atomic reference module remains a key building block. Furthermore, the ongoing shift toward optical payloads makes the availability of a stabilised optical source a valuable opportunity, readily implementable in the microwave domain once PIC optical combs become available.

The objective of this activity is to study, design, and manufacture a compact optical clock module capable of generating a stabilised optical signal with stability performance at least one order of magnitude better than that of commercial compact microwave clocks (e.g.  MAC SA-5x), and with timing performance of a few tens of nanoseconds per day. The clock shall provide an optical output within a compact architecture and with low power consumption (<5W).

The tasks to be performed shall include:

• Detailed design of the compact optical clock module, limited to the physics package. This shall include thermo-mechanical simulations to properly dimension the design and ensure its ability to withstand mechanical loads and thermal environments compatible with harsh applications. 
• Specification of requirements for low power electronics to drive and control the optical clock module. This shall include the definition of algorithms for autonomous operation. 
• Procurement, manufacturing, and assembly of the compact optical clock module. 
• Procurement and assembly of an Electronic Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) capable of mimicking the functionalities of the low power electronics. 
• Verification of performance under ambient and thermal conditions.

The activity is ultimately targeting a space clock, but its technology developments could be re-used also for ground applications.

The main outputs of the activity will consist of:

• Engineering Model (EM) of an optical clock module (mainly limited to the physics package).  
• EM Test equipment and Data Package.

It is noted that no Participating State expressed their opt-out for this activity (EL1-131).