From High Precision to Innovation: Optical Lattice Clocks for Future Applications

Optica Distinguished Lecture Series on Quantum Science and Technology

Optical lattice clocks achieve 18-digit accuracy, enabling chronometric leveling and paving the way for redefining the second. Advances in compact clock designs, long-distance clock comparisons and continuous interrogation techniques will facilitate their real-world implementation.

About the Speaker

Hidetoshi Katori, born 27 September 1964, is a Japanese physicist and professor at the University of Tokyo best known for having invented the magic wavelength technique for ultra-precise optical lattice atomic clocks. Since 2011, Katori is also Chief Scientist at the Quantum Metrology Lab, RIKEN.

Recently, Katori's group performed a measurement of gravitational redshift with two transportable strontium optical lattice clocks over nearly the entire height of the Tokyo Skytree, setting a new record for the best ground-based test of general relativity.

Continuous Bose-Einstein Condensation and Optical Clocks

Continuous instead of pulsed operation of optical clocks promises a hundred-fold increased measurement bandwidth. On our path to this goal, we achieved continuous Bose-Einstein condensation [Nature 606, 683 (2022)] and build continuously operating optical clocks.

About the Speaker

Prof. Florian Schreck (University of Amsterdam) works on quantum sensors and simulators based on ultracold strontium gases. His research group recently achieved continuous Bose-Einstein condensation, a great starting point for future continuous atom lasers that could be useful for atom interferometry. Using techniques created for that work, his group is developing a new generation of optical clocks, continuously operating superradiant and zero-deadtime clocks. Other projects include the study of ultracold RbSr molecules and quantum simulations using arrays of Rydberg-coupled single Sr atoms. He coordinates the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed and the EU’s AQuRA transportable optical clock project. He is CEO of OpticsFoundry, which has the mission to make optical circuits for quantum devices easy to design, procure and operate.

Exploring light and life: Nanophotonics and AI for scalable molecular sensing, sequencing, and synthesis

We present Si nanophotonic chips that may enable unprecedented data about biochemical systems, at rates previously unattainable. We apply these chips to analyse the tumor-immune microenvironment, achieve glyco sequencing and enable site-specific DNA synthesis.

About the Speaker

Jennifer (Jen) Dionne is a Professor of Materials Science at Stanford. She is also a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator and deputy director of Q-NEXT, a National Quantum Initiative. From 2020-2023, Jen served as Stanford’s Inaugural Vice Provost of Shared Facilities. Jen received her B.S. degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, her Ph. D. at Caltech and her postdoctoral training at Berkeley. 

As a pioneer of nanophotonics, she is passionate about developing methods to detect and direct biochemical transformations. Her research has developed culture-free methods to detect pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility; amplification-free methods to detect and sequence nucleic acids and peptides; and new methods to image catalytic reactions with atomic-scale resolution.  She is the recipient of the NSF Waterman Award, NIH New Innovator Award and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. She was featured on Oprah’s list of “50 Things that will make you say ‘Wow’!”.  Dionne's alum hold faculty positions spanning top academia, industry, startups, policy and communications, including a Pulitzer prize winner.