UK’s HMS Puncher carries out ‘world’s first’ trial of cold atom clock at sea

Quantum sensing specialist Aquark Technologies has completed the ‘world-first’ trial of a cold atom-based atomic clock working with the Royal Navy’s Archer-class patrol vessel HMS Puncher.

Aquark’s atomic clock system, the AQlock, functioned continuously aboard HMS Pursuer in the Solent area over three days, marking an important milestone for position, navigation, and timing (PNT) technology.

The navy’s Disruptive Capabilities and Technologies Office and the Ministry of Defense’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) supported Aquark’s latest trial.

By demonstrating its ability to continuously operate aboard a Royal Navy vessel in rough offshore conditions, Aquark Technologies is now closing in on its goal to improve conventional PNT, and reduce global reliance on GNSS for military operations, infrastructure, telecommunications, finance, transportation, and many other sectors.

The AQlock is the UK’s first industrially designed and built cold atom-based clock. It works by transferring atoms that have been cooled to near absolute zero to a conventional oscillator to reduce long-term drift, allowing real-time and highly precise data on the clock’s position.

The technology is underpinned by the supermolasses trap, a unique method of trapping atoms pioneered by Aquark that makes the technology highly robust and portable, ultimately meaning it can be transferred onto a ship such as HMS Puncher, according to the Royal Navy.

“The Royal Navy remains committed to exploring disruptive technologies that offer the potential for significant operational advantage. The outcome of this trial aligns with the UK’s sovereign capability goals and paves the way for future innovation that will enable the Royal Navy to leverage best-in-class technologies,” Chester Butterworth, Head of Strategy at the Royal Navy’s Disruptive Capabilities and Technologies Office, said.

“P2000 Inshore Patrol Vessels are an ideal platform to provide the challenging at-sea conditions required to put systems to the test. The team in HMS Pursuer appreciates the exposure to such new equipment and the opportunity to learn about the technology which will contribute to the UK’s capabilities of the future,” Commander Carla Higgins, Commanding Officer Coastal Forces Squadron, added.

The AQlock was developed with support from a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) grant from Innovate UK.

In March 2022, the Royal Navy installed the first atomic clock of its kind onboard aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to help ensure pinpoint accuracy wherever the vessel sails. The technology, which is about the size of a typical laptop, provides a “highly accurate time signal” that allows the ship’s complex combat systems to synchronize should the more traditional GPS signal fail.