Optical atomic clocks to upgrade official US time

NIST seeks two portable optical atomic clocks to integrate into an auxiliary timescale in Gaithersburg. This timescale will improve the resiliency and performance of UTC(NIST), NIST’s realization of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). These high-stability clocks will augment an ensemble of microwave atomic clocks and receive high relative weight in the UTC(NIST) computation algorithm, thereby reducing reliance on microwave standards.

Estimated value

$500K - $999K

Contract type

Unknown

• NAICS541715
• PSC541715