An Optical Lattice Clock Testbed System for the iqClock Project Demonstrator

Abstract

We present our work on a compact and flexible Optical Lattice Clock Testbed System. This system helps realizing a compact and transportable strontium-based optical atomic clock demonstrator built from industry-developed subsystems – a deliverable of the iqClock project. The demonstrator will be integrated at the University of Birmingham. In order to facilitate the system integration of the demonstrator, we use the testbed system to assess the performance of the industry-built components and subsystems. The testbed is completed in its first phase, capable of realizing ultra-cold atoms. In a subsequent phase, we will transform the testbed system into a strontium-based frequency standard.