Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillator - 'The Sapphire Clock'

[spazsinbad]

Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillator - 'The Sapphire Clock'
Aug 2018 Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing - Adelaide University

"Timing precision is critical in many sensing, communication and computational tasks. The call for very high timing precision reaches its pinnacle in radar technology, very long baseline (VLBI) radio astronomy and quantum computing to choose three examples.

IPAS researchers have developed a Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillator, or Sapphire Clock, that produces an extremely pure signal at a microwave frequency of about 10 GHz and allows time measurements with accuracy on the femtosecond scale; performing 10 to 1000 times better than any competing technology.

Such a performance gain allows users to take ultra-high precision measurements to improve the performance of electronic systems....

…Defence Applications
The culmination of 20 years of leading-edge fundamental research, combined with cutting-edge engineering, has led to a disruptive technology that is now revolutionizing a vital Australian defence asset. The Sapphire Clock offers a 1000-fold improvement in timing precision, which delivers an improved capability for Australian Defence to identify threats to Australia using the Jindalee Over-The-Horizon Radar Network.…

...Frequency Synthesis and Dissemination over Optical Fibre
In addition to the remarkable Sapphire Clock, the team has developed two additional technologies that directly result in purer signals for JORN, and which thus assist Australian defence to be better able to observe threats to Australia. Firstly, the team has developed ultra-low noise synthesis technology that can take the clock signals and generate the frequencies that are needed by the radar: it can do this while preserving the signal purity of the clock. Secondly, the team has developed signal dissemination technology, which enables them to deliver the pure signals through optical fibre to the numerous locations necessary to broadcast the JORN signals effectively. The range of technologies developed by the team provides the revolutionary leap in the performance in this outstanding Australian invention."

Source: https://www.adelaide.edu.au/ipas/resear ... hireClock/

[spazsinbad]

Sapphire clock takes out DST's Eureka prize
03 Sep 2018 ADM

"Technology using a pure sapphire crystal to accurately measure time has taken out the 2018 Defence Science and Technology (DST) Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in Safeguarding Australia.

The sapphire clock, officially known as the Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillator, is so precise it gains or loses only one second over 40 million years.

The sapphire clock team is working closely with Defence scientists to use the technology for upgrades and enhancements to the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN). The sapphire clock has the potential to produce the purest of signals which, when fed into JORN, could generate high quality surveillance data.

“With its unparalleled precision, the Sapphire Clock offers the potential for an upgrade of the Jindalee Over-The-Horizon Radar Network (JORN) system, which monitors aircraft and ships off Australia’s northern approaches,” team leader Professor Andre Luiten, Director of the University of Adelaide’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, said.

“The sensitivity to detect objects at great distances depends on the purity of the reference clock frequencies. Our Sapphire Clock would allow JORN to generate signals that are 1000 times purer than its current technology."..."

Source: http://www.australiandefence.com.au/new ... reka-prize