The effect of f(T) gravity on an interplanetary clock and its time transfer link

As an extension of the＂teleparallel＂equivalent of general relativity,f（T）gravity is proposed to explain some puzzling cosmological behaviors,such as accelerating expansion of the Universe.Given the fact that modified gravity also has impacts on the Solar System,we might test it during future interplanetary missions with ultrastable clocks.In this work,we investigate the effects of f（T）gravity on the dynamics of the clock and its time transfer link.Under these influences,theΛ-term and theα-term of f（T）gravity play important roles.Here,Λis the cosmological constant andαrepresents a model parameter in f（T）gravity that determines the divergence from teleparallel gravity at the first order approximation.We find that the signal of f（T）gravity in the time transfer is much more difficult to detect with the current state of development for clocks than those effects on dynamics of an interplanetary spacecraft with a bounded orbit with parameters 0.5 au≤a≤5.5 au and 0≤e≤0.1.

Space time clock:An on-chip clock with 10^(-12) instability

High precision and stable clock is extremely important in communication and navigation.The miniaturization of the clocks is considered to be the trend to satisfy the demand for5G and the next generation communications.Based on the concept of meter bar and the principle of the constancy of light velocity,we designed a micro clock,Space Time Clock(STC),with the size smaller than 1 mm×1 mm and the power dissipation less than 2 m W.Designed in integrated circuit of 0.18μm technology,the instability of STC is assessed to be 2.23×10^(-12)and the trend of the instability is reversely proportional toτ.With the potential ability to reach the level of 10instability on chip in the future,the period of the STC’s signal is locked on the delay time defined by the meter bar which keeps the time reference constant.Because of its superior performance,the STC is more suitable for mobile communication,PNT(Positioning,Navigation and Timing),embedded processor and deep space application,and becomes the main payload of the ASRTU satellite scheduled to launch next year and investigate in space environment.