Femtosecond time synchronization of optical clocks off of a flying quadcopter

Hugo Bergeron, Laura C. Sinclair (), William C. Swann, Isaac Khader, Kevin C. Cossel, Michael Cermak, Jean-Daniel Deschênes () and Nathan R. Newbury ()
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Hugo Bergeron: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Laura C. Sinclair: National Institute of Standards and Technology
William C. Swann: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Isaac Khader: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Kevin C. Cossel: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Michael Cermak: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Jean-Daniel Deschênes: National Institute of Standards and Technology
Nathan R. Newbury: National Institute of Standards and Technology

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Future optical clock networks will require free-space optical time-frequency transfer between flying clocks. However, simple one-way or standard two-way time transfer between flying clocks will completely break down because of the time-of-flight variations and Doppler shifts associated with the strongly time-varying link distances. Here, we demonstrate an advanced, frequency comb-based optical two-way time-frequency transfer (O-TWTFT) that can successfully synchronize the optical timescales at two sites connected via a time-varying turbulent air path. The link between the two sites is established using either a quadcopter-mounted retroreflector or a swept delay line at speeds up to 24 ms−1. Despite 50-ps breakdown in time-of-flight reciprocity, the sites’ timescales are synchronized to

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09768-9

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