TAMPERE, Finland (April 16, 2026) Vexlum, a manufacturer of advanced semiconductor laser systems, and Menlo Systems, a leading provider of precision photonics technologies, today announced a collaboration to accelerate the development of ultra-precise optical atom clock timekeeping by providing an accessible, modular photonics source. Currently, the complexity and cost make it difficult to build and operate optical atomic clocks at scale. Vexlum and Menlo Systems are joining forces to change that by developing a system that makes building optical clocks more accessible, reliable, and cost-effective. The collaboration is part of the “VEQTOR” project, funded by EUROSTARS, a program supporting the advancement of quantum technology within Europe.
The aim of the collaboration is to combine Vexlum’s advanced, high-power lasers with Menlo Systems’ precision metrology instrumentation, resulting in a standardized light source that fulfills the extreme requirements demanded by the most precise clocks to date, ultimately allowing research institutions and companies to easily build optical atomic clocks. Applications for optical atomic clocks include GPS-independent navigation, secure data synchronization on a continental scale, for example, for stock trading, and unlocking precise gravitational sensing for large-scale infrastructure monitoring and the test of fundamental physical theories.
Optical atomic clocks are among the most precise instruments ever created, achieving accuracy levels that surpass microwave-based Cesium atomic clocks by more than two orders of magnitude. This is because optical clocks “tick” at the frequency of visible light, which oscillates approximately 100,000 times faster than microwaves, providing an unparalleled resolution for time measurement.
However, despite their extraordinary precision, optical clocks are not yet ready to deliver their full potential.
“The laser systems these clocks rely on are often sourced from several suppliers, are complex systems on their own, and typically require at least some level of hands-on operation. This, in turn, makes their system integration, stabilization, and 24/7 operation extremely difficult. Our collaboration with Vexlum aims to close this gap by developing a next-generation turn-key system that can make optical clocks practical, scalable, and ready for real-world use,” says Dr. Felix Balling, Project Lead at Menlo Systems.
By integrating a dedicated laser platform built by Vexlum, Menlo Systems addresses the challenge of sourcing the many different laser colors needed to cool, trap, initialize, and measure the neutral strontium-87 (Sr) atoms used in the most advanced atomic clocks. Using its advanced semiconductor laser technology, Vexlum can easily provide all the laser solutions needed to work with Menlo Systems’ frequency control and metrology packages for any type of optical atomic clocks, enabling scientists to assemble their optical clock systems more rapidly.
“The rapid advances in laser and optics miniaturization are fundamentally changing the cost structure of quantum technology,” commented Riina Hietikko, Project Manager at Vexlum. “By leveraging Vexlum’s Vertical-External-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VECSEL) technology, the necessary light sources can be provided in packages that are smaller, more robust, and more affordable than ever before. This level of integration means scientists can now skip the tedious, months-long effort of stabilizing and calibrating independent laser systems and jump straight to their experiments, accelerating discovery and the path to commercial applications.”
Both Vexlum and Menlo Systems are core partners in major EU-funded initiatives, including the Horizon Innovation Action project AQuRA (Advanced Quantum Clock for Real-World Applications).
These projects, which involve Finnish and German industrial and research institutions, are explicitly focused on strengthening the supply chain for robust, transportable optical clock components and accelerating the technology’s deployment from the laboratory into commercial and real-world environments.
Both Vexlum and Menlo will be exhibiting their technology and talking about their new partnership in Noordwijk, Netherlands, at the 39th European Frequency and Time Forum (EFTF) international Conference and exhibition organised by the European Space Agency (ESA). You can find Vexlum at stand 13 and Menlo at stand 11, April 20-23, 2026.
