Precision Measurement Group

Accurate and assured knowledge of time is critical to numerous defence and civilian operations including distributed computing, communications, and navigation.

Most of these systems depend on satellite-based timing networks (such as GPS) to achieve timing accuracy and synchronisation. There is, however, a growing concern regarding the fragility of GPS - both through its vulnerability to intentional jamming or spoofing, as well as loss of signal due to environmental conditions. These circumstances require the development of alternative secure and independent sources of time to allow Australia to mitigate the vulnerability associated with our current reliance on GPS.

The Portable Atomic Clocks team at the University of Adelaide is a diverse team of early-career researchers who have been working to solve this problem. Since 2019 the team has been developing clock technologies that are not only capable of providing independent and assured timing signals in GPS-denied environments, but also to deliver signals that out-perform timing derived from GPS by many orders of magnitude.

Portable Atomic Clocks Plot

This plot is to be used as a resource for those interested or involved in precision timing. The plot shows where each clock sits in terms of its performance (instability) vs its Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP). The lower the instability, the better the performance. The lower the SWaP, the more portable/deployable the device.

Recommended for viewing on a desktop device.

References & Links

Australia relies on its groundwater for 30% of its water supply for human consumption, stock watering, irrigation and mining. With climate change and periods of prolonged drought, surface water is becoming increasingly more unreliable and the use of groundwater is rising. We need to make sure it’s sustainable.

Measuring the ultra-low concentrations of radioactive noble gases allows researchers to understand the age, origin, and interconnectivity of the groundwater and how it has moved underground through space and time.

Atom Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA) is an exceptional example of how quantum technology can be utilised to help overcome challenges facing our modern society. The lab measures the radioactive noble gases using laser cooling and trapping techniques. These isotopes have extremely low natural concentrations, less than one part per trillion in the environment, making measurement an incredible challenge.

However, because noble gases don’t easily react chemically, they are the gold standard for environmental tracers to track groundwater movements. Measurements of their concentration provide dating information to address the greatest environmental challenges facing Australia and the globe, such as adaption to climate change and sustainable management of our finite water resources. This analytic capability will also allow researchers to look further into the past of Antarctica’s climate, building an understanding of global environmental change.

The new ATTA facility, developed in partnership with CSIRO, allows us to understand the sources of water, where it comes from and what the recharge rates are, which then allows us to make decisions about sustainable extraction. This is critical where development of any kind might use or impact groundwater systems – from urban development where groundwater systems are used to supply communities, to agricultural and mining development.