The Future of Timekeeping: Embracing Nonlinearity for Improved Precision

High precision timekeeping is essential for activities such as telecommunications and navigation. Modern clocks are self-sustained oscillators based on a lightly damped resonator with feedback that generates a limit cycle of a desired frequency. Resonator elements have historically evolved from Huygens’ isochronous pendulum to quartz crystals to atomic level transitions to micro- mechanical structures. Increasing the precision of a clock depends on mitigating the effects of noise and typically involves operating at resonator amplitudes near the onset of nonlinearity. In this talk I will provide a brief background about clock dynamics and describe how understanding the interplay of nonlinearity and noise is important for advancing clock precision. The talk will emphasize predictive modeling and experimental results from micro-electro-mechanical oscillators.

Key Learning Objectives

• Clocks are modeled by limit cycles with a counter
• Clock precision is described by frequency stability which depends on noise properties of the resonator and supporting electronics
• Micro-scale resonators consist of tiny vibrating structures that interface with electronics and are ubiquitous in modern electronics
• These devices are essential components in cell phones, computers, vehicle stability systems, etc.
• Clock precision can be improved by going beyond the linear range, which requires an understanding of the interplay of nonlinearity and noise

Who Should Attend

• Mechanical and electrical engineers
• Applied physicists
• Researchers/scientists in electro-mechanical systems and nonlinear dynamics
• MEMS Research/Project managers