Experts from the Faculty of Applied Sciences help develop a more accurate time-determining device

Experts from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of West Bohemia, in cooperation with the company HULD, have developed a device for the European Space Agency that combines signals from various atomic clocks to ensure highly accurate time.

The device, which combines time data from several atomic clocks, was developed by experts from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen (FAV UWB) in collaboration with the Czech-Finnish company HULD. The project aimed to provide the European Space Agency (ESA) with a more reliable and accurate time source than from individual atomic clocks.

"The device works by receiving signals from various atomic clocks, such as cesium or hydrogen clocks, verifying their quality, and then creating a new signal—a sine wave with the most accurate frequency possible, ideally 10 MHz. The result is a time signal that is more accurate than any of the separate inputs. This combination method ensures greater stability and resistance to outages," explained Jindřich Duník from the Department of Cybernetics at FAV, describing how the device works.

A single clock does not generate UTC global time, but rather a combination of many atomic clocks worldwide. The new device acquired by ESA uses a similar principle. "The basis of every clock is a harmonic signal generator and a counter. In the past, this role was performed by a pendulum; today, it is performed by atoms. Atomic clocks use the regular oscillations of electrons between energy levels to achieve extreme accuracy," added Jindřich Duník.

Accurate and synchronized time is crucial for modern infrastructure. In the energy sector, it is essential to manage transmission networks, in the financial sector for time-stamping transactions, and in navigation (GPS) for determining location, which depends on knowing the exact time of signal reception and transmission.

The project, called ResTimePro, started in 2022 and ended in June this year. The project leaders from the University of West Bohemia were Jindřich Duník, Ladislav Král, and Ivo Punčochář. The project thus culminated several years of cooperation between academia and industry at the international level.