First commercial optical quantum clock based on Yb+ is deployed

14 Oct 2025

Toptica’s “Topticlock” is based on a single trapped ytterbium ion.

At this year’s LASER World of Photonics (2025), in Munich, Germany, Toptica Photonics introduced to the market what the Munich-based company describes as “the first commercially available optical quantum clock based on a single laser-cooled, trapped Yb+ ion”.

The Topticlock system was delivered to the first customer, in Austria, in September 2025, and put into operation within a few days, the company reports.

“With its relative stability and accuracy on the order of 10^-17, Topticlock sets a new benchmark for commercial atomic clocks and frequency standards with applications in timescales and time services, network synchronization, and as a ground reference for satellite navigation,” the company stated.

Microwave-based cesium atomic clocks have long been the gold standard for timekeeping and are an implementation of the current definition of the second as the base unit of time. Optical quantum clocks with their much higher oscillation frequency now rewrite the rules, offering orders of magnitude improvements in stability and accuracy.

Superior performance

Topticlock features transport stability and ease-of-use while demonstrating superior performance – unprecedented for any commercially available clock. This is proven by the installation and operation of Topticlock at PTB, the German National Metrology Institute, for qualification and its subsequent transfer to a customer site in Vienna, Austria. The clock system consists of two 19-in industrial racks and can be operated as well as monitored remotely. It bridges the gap between advanced metrology and deployable quantum infrastructure.

“This is a huge leap for applied quantum technology,” said Dr. Stephan Ritter, Senior Director Quantum Technology Solutions at Toptica. “Our clock makes highest-precision timekeeping a commercial reality, with a proven quantum advantage for applications in science and industry.”

Dr. Juergen Stuhler, VP Quantum Technologies at Toptica added, “I would like to congratulate my team for this wonderful achievement, made possible by courage, commitment and expertise. We are also grateful to PTB for supporting us in the leap from a joint research project demonstrator to a commercially available instrument.”

The development of Topticlock is the result of years of collaboration between the company and PTB, particularly through the successful nationally-funded QT pilot project called “Opticlock”. Topticlock marks the company’s portfolio expansion from high-end laser systems into full quantum technology solutions.

The company stated, “By combining laser cooling and quantum-state control of a single ion with ultra-stable clock laser technology, Topticlock offers a commercially unprecedented level of stability and accuracy while still allowing for flexible usage and modifications. With an optical output at 871 nm and the option to integrate our Difference Frequency Comb (DFC) for a phase-stable linkage into the microwave regime, Topticlock delivers complete optical and low-phase-noise RF clock signals.”

“Toptica’s legacy and technological breadth in laser innovation now empowers a new generation of quantum clocks,” said Dr. Wilhelm Kaenders, founder and CTO of Toptica Photonics. “We are ready and proud to provide the building blocks and backbone for tomorrow’s time and frequency infrastructure.”