Tanja Mehlstäubler is being honored for her work on the multi-ion clock. Her research breaks through the previous precision limit of optical ion clocks, which required extremely long measurement times due to the weak signal of individual ions. The newly developed concept of the multi-ion clock (also known as a “Coulomb crystal clock”) amplifies the signal, enabling measurements to be taken up to a hundred times faster and with unprecedented accuracy. The work shows for the first time that Coulomb crystals, despite their complex interactions, can be controlled so precisely that they serve as highly accurate time and frequency references. This makes uncertainties in the range of 10-19 and below achievable within realistic time frames, opening up new applications in Earth observation, tests of relativity and fundamental physics. In the long term, the multi-ion clock paves the way for compact, transportable quantum sensors and precise clocks for geodetic applications.
The award ceremony takes place during the Falling Walls Science Summit from November 6 to 9 in Berlin.
