Precision time references in space are of major importance to satellite-based fundamental science, global satellite navigation, earth observation, and satellite formation flying. Here we report on the operation of a compact, rugged, and automated optical frequency comb setup on a sounding rocket in space under microgravity. The experiment compared two clocks, one based on the optical D₂ transition in Rb, and another on hyperfine splitting in Cs. This represents the first frequency comb based optical clock operation in space, which is an important milestone for future satellite-based precision metrology. Based on the approach demonstrated here, future space-based precision metrology can be improved by orders of magnitude when referencing to state-of-the-art optical clock transitions.

Full article:

Optica Vol. 3, p. 1381 (2016)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1364/OPTICA.3.001381