Mesa Quantum
CU Boulder spinout building the world's smallest atomic clock. Miniaturized quantum timekeeping that could replace GPS timing infrastructure.
Mesa Quantum is a CU Boulder spinout building miniaturized atomic clocks, with the stated goal of producing the smallest atomic clock ever made. Atomic clocks measure time by counting the oscillations of atoms (typically cesium or rubidium) and are the most precise timekeeping technology ever developed. They are also the unsung backbone of modern infrastructure: GPS satellites carry atomic clocks, and the entire telecommunications and financial trading systems rely on precise time synchronization, much of which ultimately derives from atomic clock signals. Today, atomic clocks small enough to fit on a circuit board exist (chip-scale atomic clocks, or CSACs), but they remain expensive and consume meaningful power. Mesa Quantum is building toward an even smaller, lower-power generation of atomic clocks that could be embedded in everyday electronics, providing local precision timing independent of GPS, an increasingly important capability given the vulnerability of GPS signals to jamming and spoofing.