Optical frequency combs are specialized lasers that act like rulers for light, measuring exact frequencies with extreme precision. Developed by NIST scientists, these Nobel Prize-winning devices have revolutionized atomic clocks, timekeeping, and various scientific applications.
Optical atomic clocks, which count the natural oscillation of atoms 500,000 billion times per second, require optical frequency combs to convert their high-frequency “ticks” into the lower-frequency signals used by electronics. This allows scientists to link optical atomic clocks with microwave-based clocks and modern computing systems.
Optical frequency combs have numerous applications beyond timekeeping, including:
– Detecting trace amounts of pollutants and disease markers
– Studying exoplanets and dark matter
– Creating 3D maps using lidar technology
– Advancing quantum physics research
The development of optical frequency combs began in the 1970s and required significant advancements in laser technology and calibration techniques. Today, NIST and JILA scientists continue to innovate and improve these tools, with potential future applications in compact, chip-scale devices for consumer electronics and high-performance computing systems.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/topics/physics/optical-frequency-combs
Keywords: Frequency combs, Optical atomic clocks, Laser technology, Metrology, Spectroscopy
