New article: An optical micro-oscillator could lead to next-generation timing, navigation and sensing applications read more at here http://www.spinonews.com/index.php/science/item/3337-an-optical-micro-oscillator-could-lead-to-next-generation-timing-navigation-and-sensing-applications

Researchers have developed an optical micro-oscillator, a key component of clocks that could vastly improve the accuracy of time-keeping, which is essential for use in spacecraft, automobile sensing or satellite communications.

An optical oscillator is alike a pendulum its "tick" is the laser's very high frequency. This optical pendulum is a laser light confined in a very quiet resonator that allows for the light to bounce back and forth without losing its energy.

Chee Wei Wong, professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science said, any fluctuations in temperature or pressure can change the size of the oscillators, and therefore changes how far the laser light travels, and thus, the accuracy of the oscillation.

 

 

[An artificial material controls laser polarization electronically]

 

The new optical micro-oscillator is precise and stable, it doesn't change the light oscillation frequency more than 0.1 parts per billion. At the same time, they shrank the oscillator's size down to only 1 cubic centimeter in volume.

Researchers said, in this work the small-scale laser is a key step in reducing the size, weight and power of optical clocks, and to make possible their availability outside the laboratory and for field applications.

The new optical oscillator is three to five times more stable than existing devices is not being affected during extreme changes in temperature and pressure. Based on experimental results, the researchers also suggest its stability could be as much as 60 times better.

Jinkang Lim, lead author on the study said, we carefully designed our resonator and isolated it from the ambient fluctuations. We observed the minute changes and saw it remained stable, even with environmental changes. The new micro-oscillator could retain its accuracy, even with unfriendly environmental conditions.

More information: [Nature Communications]