Universal formalism for data sharing and processing in clock comparison networks

Abstract

We present a mathematical framework adapted to the comparison of atomic clocks remotely connected by a complex network of optical or microwave links. This framework facilitates the computation of frequency ratios using a generic set of equations that are valid for a wide variety of clock architectures, making the comparison of a large number of clocks practical. This formalism suggests a generic data exchange protocol that can be used in clock comparison collaborations, for which data logging and decision taking are completely local procedures, independently implemented by the participants.

21 pages, 5 figures

References in corpus (2)

• Coherent optical frequency transfer at 5e-19 over a doubled 642 km fiber link
• Ultra-stable laser with average fractional frequency drift rate below $5\times 10^{-19}/\mathrm{s}$