Development of a space cold atom clock

• 来源期刊: 国家科学评论（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2020,（12）
• 所属期刊栏目: Special Topic: Precision Measurement Physics
• 页码范围: 1828-1836
• 页数: 9页
• 语种: 英文
• DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwaa215

摘要

Atomic clocks with cold atoms play important roles in the field of fundamental physics as well as primary frequency standards.Operating such cold atom clocks in space paves the way for further exploration in fundamental physics,for example dark matter and general relativity.We developed a space cold atom clock(SCAC),which was launched into orbit with the Space Lab TG-2 in 2016.Before it deorbited with TG-2 in 2019,the SCAC had been working continuously for almost 3 years.During the period in orbit,many scientific experiments and engineering tests were performed.In this article,we summarize the principle,development and in-orbit results.These works provide the basis for construction of a space-borne time-frequency system in deep space.