Time for Optical Clocks

Today's most precise clocks are based on atomic optical reference transitions. Their unprecedented precision opens up numerous applications like improved network synchronization, navigation, geodesy or fundamental tests of physics. I will give a general introduction on optical clocks and show examples of lab-based scientific realizations as well as first steps towards future commercial systems. In particular, I will present details and results of the industry-led German quantum technology pilot project "opticlock" (www.opticlock.de). In this collaborative project, six companies, two universities, one research institute, and one federal institute have realized a transportable and user-friendly atomic clock using a single trapped Yb+-ion as optical reference. The project was funded by the German Ministry of Education and Research – BMBF within the program "pilot projects quantum technologies" (FKZ 3N14380).