Aquark Unveils, Details Plans to Develop Cold Atom Clock

Quantum technology company Aquark Technologies has won a £3.4 million (~$4.3 million) contract from Innovate UK to develop its high-performance cold atom clock, which the company calls AQlock. The system will be the U.K.’s first commercially available cold atom clock.

Cold atom clocks measure time using atoms which have been cooled to nearly absolute zero. Aquark’s “super molasses” laser cooling method traps atoms without the use of an applied magnetic field, making the clock more portable, robust, and easier to produce commercially compared with other cold atom clocks.

During a previous Innovate UK-funded project, Aquark successfully proved feasibility of its cold atom clock technology, including technical demonstration of an open-loop clock signal.

Specifically, the AQlock is designed to integrate into existing systems as an accompaniment or augmentation to GNSS-enabled technology. Initial target sectors include telecom, defense, finance, and aviation, according to the company.