#Darpa program aims to atomic clocks portable#
#Darpa program aims to atomic clocks free#

Making clocks this precise portable could improve upon existing military systems such as GPS, and potentially enable entirely new radar, LIDAR and metrology applications. QuASAR researchers have developed optical atomic clocks in laboratories with a timing error of less than 1 second in 5 billion years. Quantum-Assisted Sensing and Readout (QuASAR) intends to make the world’s most accurate atomic clocks-which currently reside in laboratories-both robust and portable. The self-calibrating, high-performance and cost-effective microscale sensors that DARPA is developing could offer tremendous size, weight and power (SWAP) improvements over existing sensors. DARPA researchers have fabricated a prototype with three gyroscopes, three accelerometers and a highly accurate master clock on a chip that fits easily on the face of a penny. Micro-PNT comprises a portfolio of diverse efforts collectively devoted to develop highly stable and precise chip-scale gyroscopes, clocks and complete integrated timing and inertial measurement devices.

Microtechnology for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (Micro-PNT) leverages extreme miniaturization made possible by DARPA-developed micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. In combination, these various sources are much more abundant and have stronger signals than GPS, and so could provide position information in both GPS-denied and GPS-degraded environments. Additionally, ANS seeks to exploit non-navigational electromagnetic signals-including commercial satellite, radio and television signals and even lightning strikes-to provide additional points of reference for PNT. The goal is to leverage quantum physical properties to create extremely accurate inertial measurement devices that can operate for long periods without needing external data to determine time and position. ANS aims to create better inertial measurement devices by using cold-atom interferometry, which measures the relative acceleration and rotation of a cloud of atoms stored within a sensor.

#Darpa program aims to atomic clocks free#

“Now we are putting new physics, new devices, and new algorithms on the job so our people and our systems can break free of their reliance on GPS.”ĭARPA’s current PNT portfolio includes five programs, focused wholly or in part on PNT-related technology:Īdaptable Navigation Systems (ANS) is developing new algorithms and architectures for rapid plug-and-play integration of PNT sensors across multiple platforms, with the intent to reduce development costs and shrink deployment time from months to days. “Position, navigation, and timing are as essential as oxygen for our military operators,” said DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar. GPS continues to be vital, but its limitations in some environments could make it an Achilles’ heel if warfighters rely on it as their sole source of PNT information. More worrisome is that adversaries can jam signals. GPS signals have their limitations as they cannot be received underground or underwater and can be significantly degraded or unavailable during solar storms. FREMONT, CA: DARPA is running several programs which are exploring innovative technologies and approaches that could eventually provide reliable, highly accurate positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) capabilities when GPS capabilities are degraded or unavailable.