Optical two-way time and frequency transfer over free space

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a free-space optical two-way time and frequency transfer method using frequency combs, achieving femtosecond precision over a 2-km link despite atmospheric turbulence, enabling advanced applications like geodesy and satellite-based experiments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel free-space optical transfer technique using frequency combs, surpassing microwave methods in precision and flexibility.

Findings

Achieved femtosecond-scale timing deviation

Residual instability below 1E-18 at 1000 s

Systematic offsets below 4E-19 despite atmospheric turbulence

Abstract

The transfer of high-quality time-frequency signals between remote locations underpins a broad range of applications including precision navigation and timing, the new field of clock-based geodesy, long-baseline interferometry, coherent radar arrays, tests of general relativity and fundamental constants, and the future redefinition of the second [1-7]. However, present microwave-based time-frequency transfer [8-10] is inadequate for state-of-the-art optical clocks and oscillators [1,11-15] that have femtosecond-level timing jitter and accuracies below 1E-17; as such, commensurate optically-based transfer methods are needed. While fiber-based optical links have proven suitable [16,17], they are limited to comparisons between fixed sites connected by a specialized bidirectional fiber link. With the exception of tests of the fundamental constants, most applications instead require more flexible connections between remote and possibly portable optical clocks and oscillators. Here we demonstrate optical time-frequency transfer over free-space via a two-way exchange between coherent frequency combs, each phase-locked to the local optical clock or oscillator. We achieve femtosecond-scale timing deviation, a residual instability below 1E-18 at 1000 s and systematic offsets below 4E-19, despite frequent signal fading due to atmospheric turbulence or obstructions across the 2-km link. This free-space transfer would already enable terrestrial links to support clock-based geodesy. If combined with satellite-based free-space optical communications, it provides a path toward global-scale geodesy, high-accuracy time-frequency distribution, satellite-based relativity experiments, and "optical GPS" for precision navigation.