Clock synchronization characterization of the Washington DC metropolitan quantum network (DC-QNet)
Quantum networking protocols relying on interference and precise time-of-flight measurements require high-precision clock synchronization. This study describes the design, implementation, and characterization of two optical time transfer methods in a metropolitan-scale quantum networking research testbed. With active electronic stabilization, sub-picosecond time deviation (TDEV) was achieved at integration times between 1 and 105 s over 53 km of deployed fiber. Over the same integration periods, 10-ps level TDEV was observed using the White Rabbit–Precision Time Protocol over 128 km. Measurement methods are described to understand the sources of environmental fluctuations on clock synchronization toward the development of in situ compensation methods. Path delay gradients, chromatic dispersion, polarization drift, and optical power variations all contributed to clock synchronization errors. The results from this study will inform future work in the development of compensation methods essential for enabling experimental research in developing practical quantum networking protocols.
Authors
- Alan Mink (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7890-4822)
- Thomas A. Searles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0532-7884)
- D.A. Tulchinsky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0252-6315)
- Qudsia Quraishi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6072-5407)
- Anne Marie Richards
- Daniel E. Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9854-5767)
- Ivan A. Burenkov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5695-8339)
- J. D. Whalen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4519-8984)
- Anouar Rahmouni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3418-5790)
- Oliver Slattery (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8673-6628)
- Mheni Merzouki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9267-5827)
- Abdella Battou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3071-842X)
- Wayne McKenzie (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2742-3567)
- Prarthana Shrestha
- K. S. Collins (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6159-8013)
- Steven Peil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3322-6765)
- Eleanya Onuma
- Thomas Gerrits (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8135-1811)
- Ya-Shian Li-Baboud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3234-4345)
- Atiyya A. Davis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0184-9095)
- Harry Shaw (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7241-3793)
- Nijil Lal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6517-7283)
- La Vida Cooper
- Paulina S. Kuo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1820-9163)
- Adam T. Black (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5381-8162)
- Sanjay R. Patel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9142-5172)
- Thomas Akin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0737-5342)
- Bruce Crabill
- Yicheng Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8508-3797)
- Alejandro Rodriguez Perez
- M. A. Diaz
- Alexander S. Hastings (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0787-9167)
Institutions
- United States Naval Research Laboratory (US)
- Goddard Space Flight Center (US)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (US)
- Crossroads College (US)
- University of Illinois Chicago (US)
- Theiss Research (US)
- Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (US)
- Communications Technology Laboratory (US)
- Physical Measurement Laboratory (US)
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (US)
- Information Technology Laboratory (US)
- Computational Physics (United States) (US)
- United States Naval Observatory (US)
- Joint Quantum Institute (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Applied Physics Letters
- Published
- 2024-10-14
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0225082
- Citations
- 11
- Primary Topic
- Quantum optics and atomic interactions
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 3.71