Stephan+Schiller

Optical clocks are currently gaining a lot of attention for future space missions aiming at a test of fundamental physics, or simply as a precision tool for more applied tasks as (space craft) navigation or geodesics. An overview about the history of atomic clocks (in space) is given, advanced optical clock concepts are described, and their expected performance is estimated. We report on our current activities to implement an Ytterbium atomic clock, which might be used as ground based time reference for future ESA missions. Finally, international activities towards the demonstration of optical clocks in space and related technologies are described.
 * Optical Clocks in Space **
 * Stephan Schiller and Andreas Wicht, **** Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf **
 * S. Schiller, A. Görlitz, J. Koelemeij, A. Nevsky, A. Wicht **
 * Institute for Experimental Physics **
 * Heinrich-Heine University of Düsseldorf **
 * Universitätsstr. 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf **