Free space optical link to a tethered balloon for frequency transfer

Abstract

We present the results of an optical link to a corner cube on board a tethered balloon at 300 m altitude including a Tip/Tilt compensation for the balloon tracking. Our experiment measures the carrier phase of a 1542 nm laser, which is the useful signal for frequency comparison of distant clocks. An active phase noise compensation of the carrier is implemented, demonstrating a fractional frequency stability of 8x10-19 after 16 s averaging, which slightly (factor ~3) improves on best previous links via an airborne platform. This state-of-the-art result is obtained with a transportable set-up that enables a fast field deployment.

arXiv commentaccepted in Optics Express

References in corpus (15)

• Optical clock intercomparison with $6\times 10^{-19}$ precision in one hour
• A clock network for geodesy and fundamental science
• Optical two-way time and frequency transfer over free space
• Ultra-stable long distance optical frequency distribution using the Internet fiber network
• Quantum-limited optical time transfer for future geosynchronous links
• A coherent optical link through the turbulent atmosphere
• Femtosecond Synchronization of Optical Clocks Off of a Flying Quadcopter
• Point-to-Point Stabilised Optical Frequency Transfer with Active Optics
• Free-space transfer of comb-rooted optical frequencies over an 18 km open-air link
• Ultra-stable Free-Space Laser Links for a Global Network of Optical Atomic Clocks
• Determination of a high spatial resolution geopotential model using atomic clock comparisons
• Atomic clocks as a tool to monitor vertical surface motion
• First industrial-grade coherent fiber link for optical frequency standard dissemination
• An open and flexible digital phase-locked loop for optical metrology
• Lasers for coherent optical satellite links with large dynamics

Cited by in corpus (1)

• A plug-and-play solution for characterizing two-way optical frequency transfer over free-space