Atomic-Photonic Integration

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking research proposals through a Broad Agency Announcement for its Atomic-Photonic Integration program. The goal is to develop a new class of atom-based systems utilizing integrated photonics and trapped atoms to enable high-performance, robust, portable clocks and gyroscopes. The agency will evaluate proposals based on metrics including size, power usage, frequency stability, and noise levels. The deadline for proposal submission is September 27, 2018.

There is no set-aside designation. The research involves developing atom-based positioning, navigation, and timing devices, as well as atom-based gyroscopes. Budget and award values are unspecified. The effort includes two technical areas, the first focusing on developing a photonic integrated clock prototype by September 2022, and the second developing a trapped-atom gyroscope based on a Sagnac interferometer, with the first phase establishing the architecture and the second scaling to larger enclosed areas.