Close-up of the optical components used to stabilise the light of the infrared laser for the precise reference frequency. (Image: Metas)
Close-up of the optical components used to stabilise the light of the infrared laser for the precise reference frequency. (Image: Metas) - Many scientific experiments require highly precise time measurements with the help of a clearly defined frequency. Now, a new approach allows the direct comparison of frequency measurements in the lab with the atomic clock in Bern, Switzerland. For many scientific experiments, today's researchers require a precise reference frequency that allows them to calibrate the time measurements made by their equipment. Such experiments include spectroscopy investigations - in which chemical reactions between molecules are examined in real time - and physical studies on natural constants. Access to exactly this kind of highly precise reference frequency could soon become standard for Swiss research institutions. In a joint project funded as part of the Swiss National Science Foundation's Sinergia programme, researchers at ETH Zurich, the University of Basel, the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (Metas) - Switzerland's 'guardian of measurement units' - and the Switch Foundation, which operates Switzerland's academic data network, have demonstrated that such a precision reference signal can be sent via conventional telecommunications infrastructure.
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