In a groundbreaking milestone, Infleqtion has delivered its cutting-edge optical atomic clock, Tiqker, to the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, marking the first UK commercial sale of such a device. This collaboration between Infleqtion and Professor Erling Riis’s research group aims to revolutionize navigation and precision timekeeping.
The Tiqker unit boasts hydrogen maser-like short-term performance in a compact size, weight, and power package, with a Cs-Beam-like holdover of up to seven days. According to Timothy Ballance, President at Infleqtion UK, the company is thrilled to deliver its first commercial clock in the UK to Professor Riis’s team. The University of Strathclyde will rigorously test Tiqker, providing invaluable feedback as early customer insights. This development is part of a broader initiative to create a nationally distributed timing infrastructure in the UK, reducing reliance on Global Navigation Satellite Systems and improving critical national infrastructure resilience.
Revolutionizing Precision Timekeeping: Infleqtion’s Tiqker Optical Atomic Clock
Infleqtion has marked a significant milestone with the first UK commercial delivery of its groundbreaking optical atomic clock, Tiqker, to the University of Strathclyde. This achievement represents a historic moment as the first sale and commercial delivery of any optical atomic clock within the UK.
The Tiqker unit, delivered to Professor Erling Riis’s laboratory, signifies a promising collaboration between Infleqtion and the research group at the University of Strathclyde. Renowned for its stability and robustness, as demonstrated by recent flight trials, Tiqker is poised to revolutionize navigation and precision timekeeping, establishing a new standard in Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technology.
Tiqker offers hydrogen maser-like short-term performance in a compact size, weight, and power package, with a Cs-Beam-like holdover of up to seven days. This cutting-edge technology is expected to have a profound impact on various fields, including navigation, telecommunications, and finance, where precise timing is crucial.
Enhancing Research Capabilities: University of Strathclyde’s Integration of Tiqker
The integration of Tiqker at the University of Strathclyde will enable researchers to rigorously test the clock’s capabilities, providing invaluable feedback as early customer insights. Professor Erling Riis expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating that Tiqker represents a significant step-change in their work on miniaturized clocks based on both hot and laser-cooled atoms.
The University of Strathclyde’s research group has often been limited by the phase noise of the oscillator driving the atomic transitions. The Tiqker clock, with its exceptionally low phase noise oscillator, will now be used as a reference for their programmes, complementing the facilities in the National Physical Laboratory’s (NPL) National Timing innovation node.
Strengthening the UK’s Timing Infrastructure: National Timing Centre and NPL Quantum Programmes
The National Timing Centre (NTC) and NPL Quantum programmes have embarked on developing the UK’s first nationally distributed timing infrastructure and new measurement capabilities to support the development of new quantum technologies. These initiatives aim to reduce the UK’s reliance on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and improve the resilience of Critical National Infrastructure.
The Time and Frequency Innovation Node at the University of Strathclyde, established in collaboration with NPL, will further distribute signals traceable to UTC (NPL), the UK’s national time scale, to users across Scotland. This node will play a crucial role in supporting the development of new quantum technologies, such as Tiqker.
Enabling Future Technologies: Enhanced Time and Frequency Signals
The enhanced time and frequency signals provided by Tiqker and other advanced timing technologies will spur innovation in various fields, including smart grids, time-critical 5G and 6G applications, factories of the future, smart cities, and connected autonomous vehicles. These emerging technologies rely heavily on precise timing, making Infleqtion’s Tiqker a critical component in their development.
Infleqtion’s commitment to delivering high-value quantum information precisely where it is needed will have far-reaching implications for various industries and applications. As the company continues to push the boundaries of quantum research and development, its products and solutions are poised to revolutionize how we communicate, navigate, and discover.
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