{
	"event_id": "1104725",
	"eventinstance_id": "4102208",
	"calendar": {
		"id": 110,
		"title": "TRiO Center",
		"slug": "trio-center",
		"url": "https://events.ucf.edu/calendar/110/trio-center/"
	},
	"id": "4102208",
	"title": "CREOL Spring Colloquium: Laura Sinclair, NIST",
	"subtitle": null,
	"description": "\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETitle:\u003C/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp\u003BFrequency\u002DComb\u002DBased Optical Timing Networks\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp\u003BThe optical frequency comb has enabled a wide range of frequency, time and distance metrology applications due to its precise, rigid, and referenced optical output. However, the very rigidity which makes the frequency comb an excellent time\u002Dfrequency ruler places limits on its applicability for comb\u002Dbased sensing applications with many operating far from quantum\u002Dlimited sensitivity. For instance, frequency\u002Dcomb\u002Dbased two\u002Dway time transfer relies on the detection of an incoming optical comb pulse train from a distant location. These incoming comb pulse trains may be weak and amplification is costly \u0026ndash\u003B operation close to the quantum limit would dramatically increase the scope of what is possible in terms of range, SWaP (size, weight and power), and link loss. In turn, that increased scope would enable comparison of state\u002Dof\u002Dthe\u002Dart optical clocks for the future redefinition of the second, a wide range of fundamental physics tests and chronometric geodesy.\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003EHere, I will present our development of a quantum\u002Dlimited approach to optical time transfer that relies upon a time programmable frequency comb to break the inherent trade\u002Doffs which result from the rigid operation of a traditional comb. These programmable combs have a pulse time and phase which can be digitally controlled with \u0026plusmn\u003B2\u002Dattosecond accuracy allowing for their use as an optical tracking oscillator. Using frequency combs as optical tracking oscillators to reach the quantum limit for optical time transfer, we have been able to demonstrate sub\u002Dfemtosecond time transfer across a 300\u002Dkm terrestrial free\u002Dspace link with greater than 100 dB of loss, a factor of 10,000 times lower received power threshold than previous frequency\u002Dcomb\u002Dbased approaches. I will show results from this 300\u002Dkm demonstration as well as more recent work connecting optical atomic clocks across open air paths.\u003C/p\u003E\u000A\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout the Speaker:\u0026nbsp\u003B\u003C/strong\u003EDr. Laura Sinclair is the Optical Time Transfer Project Lead in the Fiber Sources and Applications Group \u0026ndash\u003B part of the Communications Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder, Colorado. She received a B.S. in physics from the California Institute of Technology in 2004, a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2011 and was a post\u002Ddoc at NIST Boulder, including as a National Research Council (NRC) post\u002Ddoctoral fellow, before joining the staff. She has been awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) (2019), a Department of Commerce Gold Medal for Scientific/Engineering Achievement as part of the Boulder Atomic Clock Optical Network Collaboration (2019), a NIST Excellence in Technology Transfer Award (2024), the Arthur S. Flemming Award for Basic Science (2024), and an Optica Fellow Award (2026). Her research focuses on the development of optical frequency combs and their wide\u002Dranging applications particularly to optical time transfer and ranging. With the Optical Time Transfer Project Team, she has recently demonstrated optical time transfer at the quantum limit achieving sub\u002Dfemtosecond time synchronization over 300 kilometers of air.\u003C/p\u003E",
	"location": "CREOL: CROL\u002D103",
	"location_url": "https://map.ucf.edu/locations/53/creol\u002Dcrol/",
	"virtual_url": "https://ucf.zoom.us/j/99858743799?from\u003Daddon",
	"registration_link": null,
	"registration_info": null,
	"starts": "Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0400",
	"ends": "Fri, 24 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400",
	"ongoing": "False",
	"category": "Speaker/Lecture/Seminar",
	"tags": ["Photonics","CREOL","Optics"],
	"contact_name": "Leland Nordin",
	"contact_phone": null,
	"contact_email": "leland.nordin@ucf.edu",
	"url": "https://events.ucf.edu/event/4102208/creol-spring-colloquium-laura-sinclair-nist/"
}