Rachel joined NPL in 2008 and has been working since then in the area of optical atomic clocks. She graduated from the University of Oxford with an M.Phys. in 1997 and completed a D.Phil. in 2000, carrying out research in atom interferometry. Prior to joining NPL, she continued to work with ultra-cold atoms for a further 8 years in Oxford, first as a Junior Research Fellow at Christ Church and then as a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow.
Areas of interest
Rachel is the science leader for the optical frequency standards and metrology area within Time and Frequency at NPL. Her specialist area of research is the development of an optical atomic clock based on a trapped, single ion of ytterbium. The research aims to make frequency measurements at the highest level of accuracy to support a future redefinition of the SI second and enable tests of fundamental physics.
Rachel is involved in international frequency comparisons between optical clocks in different countries and recently coordinated a European joint research project to build optical clocks with 1 × 10-18 uncertainty, “OC18”. Rachel is also a vice-chair of the Scientific Committee for the European Frequency and Time Forum, and a member of the Institute of Physics.
Email Rachel Godun