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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/M508287/1
Title: COALESCe - COmpAct Light Engines for Strontium Clocks
Principal Investigator: Hastie, Dr J
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Inst of Photonics
Organisation: University of Strathclyde
Scheme: Technology Programme
Starts: 01 May 2015 Ends: 31 October 2016 Value (£): 15,313
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
A large number of applications, including those in research, defence, and finance require compact optical clocks that retain

their accuracy and reliability for lower costs and footprints than existing systems. Optical clocks are capable of better

stability and lower uncertainty than the current standard of time; however, each clock requires a range of lasers with

demanding requirements specific to the atomic species at the heart of the clock. Neutral strontium is one of the most

widely used atoms. It has a key transition that must be addressed using a laser source with emission wavelength at 461nm,

power >1W and linewidth (spectral purity) <32MHz. Currently researchers must use expensive or inadequate laser

sources to meet these requirements. In this project we will meet all the above requirements of neutral strontium in a low

cost, compact system based on semiconductor disk laser (SDL) technology. The advantageous properties of SDLs for

tunable, narrow linewidth operation have previously been demonstrated in the laboratory; however, their potential to

address wavelengths of interest for optical clocks, and moreover to achieve this in a compact commercial format, have yet

to be realised. We will engineer a stabilised, narrow linewidth 922nm SDL with frequency doubling to 461nm within the

cost and volume parameters required for strontium optical clock-based systems to emerge from the research laboratory

and address applications in the field.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Summary
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Organisation Website: http://www.strath.ac.uk