Revolutionary technology is breaking out of the lab. The British government has announced that it is deploying a top-secret quantum clock, developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), across the military over the next five years.
There was a time when atomic clocks looked like pretty hot stuff. By measuring time based on the frequency of cesium-133 atoms, it was possible to build a clock that would only gain or lose a single second in 300 million years. However, compared to a quantum clock, atomic clocks are as accurate as a one-dollar antique pocket watch that's been whacked several times with a coal hammer.
By measuring how atoms jump between specific energy states, a quantum clock can reach an accuracy of gaining or losing one second in 30 billion years. That's a billion with a 'b."
It's a technology that has a lot of potential and the British military is keen to exploit it as soon as possible because it can set modern warfare on a timetable measured in nanoseconds.
There are any number of applications for quantum clocks and to achieve these the Dstl has conducted the first British trials outside of the laboratory and is working on ways to miniaturize the technology and integrate it into existing military systems.
According to the press release, the new quantum clock can be used to run an alternative to GPS that can provide the same positioning accuracy when the GPS signal is being jammed or spoofed. It can also be used to secure communications by using highly synchronized timekeeping for high-level encryption. It can make weapon systems, including missiles, far more accurate too, and it can counter cyberattacks by being able to respond in milliseconds – much faster than the attacker can react.
“The Navy has been looking at quantum technologies for a number of years and it is exciting to see that the challenges of physics and engineering in this area are now no longer a scientific concept, but is now reaching the cusp of reality," said Commander Matt Steele, the Future Technology Officer for the Royal Navy’s Office of the Chief Technical Officer. "In the next few years, the ability to operate effectively, to survive, and to navigate and also to remain lethal with the use of quantum alongside GPS will secure operational advantage."
Source: UK Government
