Quantum sensing technology company Aquark Technologies completed a trial of a cold atom-based atomic clock, in a test performed aboard the HMS Pursuer vessel. The test, facilitated and endorsed by the Disruptive Capabilities and Technologies Office of the Royal Navy (U.K.), functioned continuously aboard the vessel in the Solent area over three days. Aquark claimed the test as a milestone for position, navigation and timing (PNT) technology, and a step forward in the mission to reduce global reliance on global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). The trial builds on ongoing collaboration between Aquark and the Royal Navy, and aimed to the stability of Aquark's AQlock — which is the UK's first industrially designed and built cold atom-based atomic clock — when operated in open sea conditions. The technology is underpinned by the "supermolasses trap." This unique method of trapping atoms, according to Aquark, is ideal for miniaturization due to its reduced component count and power requirements when compared to alternative methods. The AQlock was developed with support from a Small Business Research Initiative grant from Innovate U.K. and aims to improve conventional PNT by transferring the stability of atoms that have been cooled to near absolute zero to a conventional oscillator to reduce long-term drift. This makes the technology capable of maintaining high precision for longer, without the usual required correction from GNSS, augmenting existing timing capabilities. By demonstrating its ability to continuously operate aboard a Royal Navy vessel in rough offshore conditions, Aquark said that is is now closing in on its goal to improve conventional PNT, and reduce global reliance on GNSS for military operations, infrastructure, telecommunications, finance, transportation, and other sectors. Aquark, a University of Southampton spinout, demonstrated continuous trapping of cold atoms suitable for sensing while flying on a drone in a test in 2023.
