Background and history
The QuTeIon group continues a tradition that dates back in 1978 when the INFLPR institute was funded, previously known as the Institute for Physics and Technology of Radiation Devices (Acronym: IFTAR). Once with IFTAR the Atomic Clock Group was established (within the Plasma Laboratory), led by Dr. Octav C. Gheorghiu (1924-2010), an innovator in Quantum Technologies (QT) which ‘fathered’ the Romanian active H masers programme between 1974 – 1993. Other prominent members of the group were Prof. Cipriana Mandache Tomescu, Prof. Viorica Gheorghe and late Prof. Liviu C. Giurgiu (1943 – 2022) from the Faculty of Physics – University of Bucharest.
INFLPR has established itself as a pioneer in testing and developing quantum technologies (QT) and quantum frequency standards (atomic clocks) for more than 6 decades. The first gas laser in the world has been built here in 1962 under the coordination of Prof. Ion I. Agârbiceanu. Three generations of active H masers have been built at INFLPR, delivered to the Faculty of Physics (M4) – Univ. of Bucharest, the Astronomical Institute of the Romanian Academy (M6, M7) or to the National Metrology Institute (NMI) in Bucharest, where the M8 and M9 masers have operated as the national frequency standard in the years 1990.
Prof. Viorica Gheorghe is an ex-Humboldt fellow of Prof. P. Toschek in Hamburg, who introduced the domain of ion traps in Romania in the midst 1980s. In 1991 the group led by V. Gheorghe has reported trapping of 137Ba+ ions within a custom design Paul trap built in INFLPR, which represented a remarkable achievement for Romania. Starting with 1993 the group has developed different 3D (hyperbolic and annular) as well as 2D Paul ion trap geometries, used to confine microscopic particles and to perform specific charge measurements (mass spectrometry), some of them subject to patent applications. Viorica Gheorghe is a co-author of the books Charged Particle Traps and Charged Particle Traps II: Applications.
Dr. Cipriana (Mandache) Tomescu is well known for her remarkable work in H masers and trapped (ultra)cold atoms, especially MOT and the Cs fountain standard. She is a co-author of the books The Quantum Physics of Atomic Frequency Standards: Recent Developments and Universe Dynamics: The Least Action Principle and Lagrange’s Equations.
Ultracold laser cooled and trapped ions have opened new horizons towards performing investigations on the physics of few-body phase transitions or the study of nonlinear dynamics and (quantum) chaos. Applications of ion traps span mass spectrometry, ultrahigh precision spectroscopy, fundamental physics tests, study of non-neutral one-component (OCP) plasmas, quantum sensing and metrology. To these one adds ultraprecise quantum sensors such as optical atomic clocks that will be responsible among others for the re-definition of SI unit – the second, scheduled for 2029.
Time and Frequency Transfer (TFT)
Time and frequency transfer (TFT) services represent the backbone for many modern day applications that are essential for engineering, science and society. Fundamental TFT techniques are used on a wide scale today, providing pivotal services in the fields of communication, precision metrology and the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The development of optical atomic clocks and optical frequency transfer techniques in the last decade has resulted in constant progress towards implementing and testing novel Quantum Technologies (QT), which pushes forward the performance of TFT services by several orders of magnitude. Hence, increased performance permits keeping pace with the constantly ever-growing needs in communications (timekeeping) and GNSS (geolocation), while validating new applications such as relativistic geodesy, gravitational wave observation, synthetic aperture optical astronomy, etc. The space component is critical for developing and implementing enhanced applications, as it enables long distance data transfer, enhanced security and ease of access on a global scale.
The most required service that Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) provides (when combined with map, weather, traffic data, etc.) is global navigation through GNSS, such as the ESA’s Galileo global navigation system or the Global Positioning System (GPS) in USA. Other applications derived from the operation of GNSS provide crucial support to emergency communications, water supply and electrical power grids. It is obvious that PNT services are a key part of the critical infrastructure for any country, while any disruptions in their operation could have dramatic consequences.
Atomic clocks form the basis of international time keeping and are widely used in navigation, communications and computer network management. In the area of high-speed communications, timekeeping employs atomic clocks synchronized by GNSS based time dissemination services to perform time stamping and information routing. These capabilities are essential to the high performance and availability of the internet and all its associated services. In addition, GNSS based services rely on high performance TFT capabilities. Defense and security are inconceivable today in the absence of GNSS services, while tomorrow applications such as autonomous driving could not be implemented without. TFT services rely on two key elements: (i) precision time standards (atomic clocks) and (ii) the ability to convey frequency (more precisely, the clock phase) over large distances under conditions of high precision.