Scientists create portable light tape measure for mobile timekeeping
Researchers at NIST and JQI have developed a new chip-based device that acts as a miniature ruler for light frequencies.
The new microcombs are fabricated on wafers containing over 400 chips with tiny ring-shaped resonators inside each one. These components form the heart of the technology allowing precise measurements without bulky lab gear.
Unlike previous designs, this method generates a spectrum of precise colors that act like tick marks to measure light frequencies with extraordinary accuracy. This avoids the need for power-hungry equipment required by single-laser methods in the past.
Optical atomic clocks rely on these frequency combs to generate extremely precise timing signals for various essential uses. Mobile versions will support defense travel and underground resource finding efforts in the future.
Scientists direct beams from two lasers around a small circular path called a microresonator to create evenly spaced tick marks. The light interacts with itself to produce the comb structure that measures frequencies with high quality.