Miniaturized optical frequency reference for next-generation portable optical clocks

Optical frequency standards, or lasers stabilized to atomic or molecular transitions, are widely used in length metrology and laser ranging, provide a backbone for optical communications and lie at the heart of next-generation optical atomic clocks. Here we demonstrate a compact, low-power optical frequency reference based on the Doppler-free, two-photon transition in rubidium-87 at 778 nm implemented on a micro-optics breadboard. Our optical reference achieves a fractional frequency instability of 2.9×10^-12/τ for averaging times τ less than 10³ s, has a volume of ≈35 cm³ and operates on ≈450 mW of electrical power. The advanced optical integration presented here demonstrates a key step towards the development of compact optical clocks and the broad dissemination of SI-traceable wavelength references.