Welcome to iqClock!iqClock, short for “integrated quantum clock”, is a European consortium of six universities and six industry partners. Together, these institutes develop the physics and technology needed to make new and better quantum clocks.
The goal of iqClock is to bring the best clocks in the world to society. These "optical atomic clocks" are amazingly accurate. If such a clock would have been turned on during the Big Bang, almost fourteen billion years ago, the clock would still be ahead or behind less than a single second today!
iqClock tackles two major challenges to reach its goal. The first is to make existing optical clocks smaller and more robust. Currently, these clocks do not look like the clocks in your home – they are complicated machines that fill entire laboratories. iqClock wants to make these clocks transportable, so that they can be used for measurements in the field and eventually even sent to space using satellites. This could for example make GPS systems much more accurate. The second challenge we tackle is the complexity of the clock itself. We are developing optical clocks that operate after a new principle, a bit like a laser, and that have the potential to become simpler and more robust than the current clock generation. iqClock is one of 20 quantum technology related projects that together form the European Commission's Quantum Flagship initiative. On this website, you will find our latest news, an overview of the project's tasks, a more detailed description of the twelve partner institutes that make the project possible, lists of publications and open positions. as well as an overview of media appearances and materials. If you want to know more about iqClock, don't hesitate to contact us! More about the iqClock-project... |
Recent news
14 August 2020 - A collaboration between art and science
Florian Schreck’s research on quantum clocks and ultracold atoms has been selected as one of 13 projects to be featured in the Studiotopia initiative for collaborations between art and science. For a period of 17 months, artists Dmitry Gelfand and Evelina Domnitch will collaborate with Schreck in a residency programme aimed towards sustainable development.
More information about the science, the art and the project on the UvA-Institute of Physics website. 1 April 2020 - iqClock video
We produced a short video introducing the iqClock project and the twelve partner institutes that make up the consortium. Click on the embedded video in the left column to watch it, or visit our YouTube channel.
3-4 March 2020 - Fourth iqClock consortium meeting
The fourth iqClock consortium meeting took place in Copenhagen, hosted by the Niels Bohr Institute. In this historic place, representatives from the iqClock partners came together for two days of interesting talks, updates and plans for the future.
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