Joshua Bond

Current Research

Precision timing for GPS is often done with large atomic clocks, where the time is communicated via a radio signal that can often fail. A significant failure in communication between satellites and the atomic clocks would cost the UK economy an estimated one billion dollars every day[1].

While there are miniature, more portable clocks that would solve the communication issue, they often rely on very difficult high power electronics, for example using a Rubidium vapor clock provides very accurate timing but suffers from temperature sensitivty and long term frequency drift[2].

My research project aims to develop a new atomic clock technology using the solid state material N@C60, which is an endohedral fullerene containing a single Nitrogen atom. Since the nitrogen atom is encased by a nearly spherical molecule, there are few significant sources of perturbation to the Hamiltonian, making the resonance very sharp, even at room temperature.

Primary challenges involve improving the RF engineering and physics package design to be as small as possible, with the best signal to noise ratio as possible, as well as understanding the molecules decoherence time; to understand better how to improve the clocks Allan deviation and long-term frequency accuracy.

[1]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/worlds-first-timing-centre-to-protect-uk-from-risk-of-satellite-failure

[2]: Camparo, James, The rubidium atomic clock and basic research, Physics Today, 2007.