Columbia University physicist Sebastian Will will receive $1.35 million over five years as a Moore Experimental Physics Investigator, funding research to move ultra-precise optical atomic clocks beyond specialized laboratory settings. Building on a concept first proposed in 1945 by Columbia physicist I. Rabi, Will aims to create a more compact and robust clock using arrays of strontium atoms that oscillate tens of thousands of times faster than current cesium standards.
“Optical atomic clocks are among the most precise timekeeping devices ever made, but they remain largely restricted to laboratory settings,” said Will, adding that the Moore Foundation’s support will allow his lab to explore a new architecture for real-world deployment. He plans to build clocks with up to 10,000 atoms to achieve high precision and explore connections to a potential quantum network.
$1.35M Moore Foundation Award Supports Novel Atomic Clock Development
A $1.35 million grant over five years from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation will fund Sebastian Will’s laboratory’s exploration of a new architecture for optical atomic clocks. This funding supports a shift toward deploying these ultra-precise timekeeping devices outside of traditional laboratory environments, addressing a current limitation of the technology. Rabi first proposed the concept of atomic clocks using microwave oscillations, but Will’s approach uses the significantly faster oscillations of atoms like aluminum and strontium.
Current optical atomic clocks operate at frequencies tens of thousands of times higher than the 10 billion ticks per second of standard cesium clocks, promising greater precision. Achieving this precision has historically required bulky and complex equipment, limiting practical applications. Will’s team aims to overcome this hurdle by using arrays of individual strontium atoms trapped with metasurfaces and optical tweezers.
This innovative trapping method, developed in collaboration with Nanfang Yu, an applied physicist at Engineering, allows for the precise manipulation of thousands of individual atoms. Each atom functions as an exceptionally fast oscillating pendulum, forming the basis of the new clock architecture. The team recently demonstrated the ability to generate these atomic tweezer arrays using metasurfaces, a critical step toward building a more compact and robust clock.
Will plans to construct clocks containing up to 10,000 atoms, aiming to maximize both precision and stability. Beyond improved timekeeping, the research also explores the potential to connect these advanced clocks into a quantum network.
Will expressed enthusiasm for the project’s ambitious scope, saying, “In my laboratory, we are always excited to build experimental platforms that push into regimes previously considered impractical or out of reach.” The lab’s recent achievements, including the creation of a Bose-Einstein condensate of molecules and the observation of molecular droplets, demonstrate their capacity for tackling complex challenges. The new approach represents a departure from traditional optical clock designs, which rely on complex optics and ultrahigh vacuum chambers. By simplifying the trapping mechanism, Will’s team hopes to reduce the size, cost and complexity of these devices.
Optical atomic clocks are among the most precise timekeeping devices ever made, but they remain largely restricted to laboratory settings.
Will, whose lab has recently reported the first Bose-Einstein condensate of molecules and the fi
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