A universal formalism for data sharing and processing in clock comparison networks

Jérôme Lodewyck (1, 2, 3, 4) , Rodolphe Le Targat (1, 4, 3, 2) , Paul-Eric Pottie (1, 5) , Erik Benkler (6) , Sebastian Koke (6) , Jochen Kronjäger (7)

1 SYRTE - Systèmes de Référence Temps Espace
2 LNE - SYRTE - Laboratoire national de métrologie et d'essais - Systèmes de Référence Temps-Espace
3 Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d’Essais–Système de Références Temps-Espace [Paris]
4 Métrologie des fréquences optiques
5 Observatoire de Paris
6 PTB - Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt [Braunschweig]
7 NPL - National Physical Laboratory [Teddington]

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.

Domaines: Physique Atomique [physics.atom-ph]

Jérôme Lodewyck, Rodolphe Le Targat, Paul-Eric Pottie, Erik Benkler, Sebastian Koke, et al.. A universal formalism for data sharing and processing in clock comparison networks. 2020. ⟨hal-02997778⟩