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Hugh Klein

Hugh Klein

Principal scientist

Hugh Klein joined NPL in 1987 as a senior scientist and was promoted to principal scientist in 1990. Recently he has been working on the development of microwave clock prototypes.

From 2015-18 he was technical lead of a “Ytterbium (Yb+) microwave clock” project; a 6U 19-inch rack laboratory demonstrator achieved a stability of 10-13 at 1000 seconds. An Innovate UK “Synchronicity” project followed - a collaboration between Te2v and NPL - which looked at the feasibility of developing a commercial Yb+ microwave standard. Previously he was lead scientist of the “Trapped Ion Optical Frequency Standards” project, with experimental activity focusing on a Sr+. In 1993 Hugh worked on a strategic research project on Yb+, which observed an optical octupole transition to a state with a ten-year lifetime. From 1997-2002, he was deputy research director of a UK-Japan project on "Cold Trapped Ions" and from 1999-2002 he led the UK side of a UK-China trapped ion project. Hugh was at Harvard University from 1984-87 as a research associate working on fast-beam microwave He+ Lamb shift spectroscopy. He was a research assistant at the University of Oxford from1983-84. Qualifications: MBA (LBS); DPhil (University of Oxford); BSc (Imperial College).

Areas of interest:

  • Currently focused on optical and microwave based frequency standards. Trapped ion optical clocks have potential space applications for improved navigation and tests of fundamental physics, and are also a possible candidate for the redefinition of the second. There is industrial interest in developing compact, portable microwave clocks.
  • Precise spectroscopy of hydrogen leading to a measurement of the Rydberg constant and a determination of the size of the proton.

Key Publications

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