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SIM Time Network: Enhancing Measurement Cooperation Across the Americas

Explore the role of the SIM Time Network in promoting time and frequency standards cooperation among the Organization of American States. Learn how this network enhances measurement capabilities, fosters coordination, and ensures reliable results.

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SIM Time Network: Enhancing Measurement Cooperation Across the Americas

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  1. The SIM Time Network and its role in the time and frequency laboratoryMichael A. LombardiNational Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USAlombardi@nist.gov

  2. SIM is the Interamerican Metrology System, one of the world’s five major Regional Metrology Organizations (RMOs) recognized by the BIPM

  3. The purpose of RMOs • The International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) works to ensure the worldwide uniformity of measurements and their traceability to the International System of Units (SI). This allows the measurements made in one country to be accepted and trusted in other countries, which is important for international trade. • The BIPM expects RMOs to review the quality systems of NMIs, and their calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs). RMOs should also: • Organize regional comparisons to supplement the BIPM key comparisons so that more nations can establish traceability to the SI. This is the role of the SIMTN.

  4. Information about SIM • SIM consists of NMIs located in the 34 member nations of the Organization of American States (OAS), which extends throughout North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean region. • OAS accounts for roughly 13% of the world’s population (about 910 million people as of 2009), and roughly 27% of its land mass. SIM is the largest RMO in terms of land area. • About 2 out of 3 people in the SIM region live in the United States, Brazil, or Mexico (roughly 617 million people). • Eleven SIM nations (mostly islands) have less than 1 million people. • SIM has organized metrology working groups (MWGs) in 11 different areas, including time and frequency. The SIM Time Network is operated by the T&F MWG.

  5. SIM Time Network Design Goals • Our design goals were: • To establish cooperation and communication between the SIM time and frequency labs now and in the future. • To build a network that allowed all SIM NMIs to compare their time standards to those of the rest of the world. • To utilize equipment that was low cost and easy to install, operate, and use, because SIM NMIs typically have small staffs and limited resources. • To be capable of measuring the best standards in the SIM region. This meant that the measurement uncertainties had to be as small, or nearly as small, as those of the BIPM key comparisons. • To report measurement results in near real-time, without the processing delays of the BIPM key comparisons. • To build a democratic network that favored no single laboratory or nation, and to allow all members to view the results of all comparisons.

  6. United States, 2005 Mexico, 2005 Canada, 2005 Panama, 2005 Brazil, 2006 Costa Rica, 2007 Colombia, 2007 Argentina, 2007 Guatemala, 2007 Jamaica, 2007 Uruguay, 2008 Paraguay, 2008 Peru, 2009 Trididad & Tobago, 2009 Chile, 2010 Saint Lucia, 2010 TIME AND FREQUENCY METROLOGY WORKING GROUP Working to support time and frequency metrology throughout the Americas

  7. Simple design makes it easy and inexpensive for SIM labs to compare their standards. It includes: 8-channel GPS receiver (C/A code, L1 band) Time interval counter with 30 ps resolution Rack-mount PC and flat panel display Pinwheel type antenna Applies broadcast ionospheric (MDIO) corrections Data are not stored in CGGTTS format. The receiver measures all visible satellites and stores 1-minute and 10-minute REFGPS averages. All systems are connected to the Internet, and send their files to a web server every 10 minutes. The web server processes data “on the fly” in near real-time. Results can be viewed on the web in either common-view or all-in-view format. All units are built and calibrated at NIST Systems are paid for by either OAS or the participating NMI and become the property of the NMI. The SIM Measurement System

  8. tf.nist.gov/sim

  9. Reporting results to participating SIM laboratories • Measurement results can be viewed using any Java-enabled web browser. Our web-based software does the following: • Plots the one-way GPS data (average of all satellites and tracks for each individual satellite) as recorded at each site relative to the local standard. • Plots the time and frequency difference between NMIs using the common-view method (common-view data are averaged across all satellites and are also shown for each individual satellite). • Calculates the Allan deviation and time deviation. • Makes 10 minute, 1 hour, and 1 day averages available in tabular form. • Up to 200 days of data can be retrieved at once. All old data remains available, nothing is ever deleted. • The time difference between any two laboratories can be viewed by all laboratories in the network. New results are available every 10 minutes. • Results can be processed as “classic” common-view or all-in-view.

  10. Benefits to the SIM Region • Improved time coordination. • Better time standards are being maintained at many of the SIM labs. • Increased awareness of the importance of time and frequency. • Some SIM labs are introducing new calibration services and improving existing services to better support local industry. New time services are also being introduced (NTP servers, web clocks, etc.). • Improved status for NMIs. • Companies in SIM countries are likely to use their local NMI as a source of traceable frequency measurements. • A more visible official timekeeper. • Some SIM labs have become or are trying to become the official timekeepers in their countries.

  11. Selecting a Time and Frequency Standard: Rubidium, Cesium, GPSDO, or ensemble time scale

  12. Cesium Oscillators Used to define the second, one of the seven base units of the SI A true intrinsic standard Costly, probably $35 000 to $75 000 USD Rubidium Oscillators Low cost (often under $5 000 USD) but need to be adjusted often to compensate for aging and frequency drift GPS Disciplined Oscillators A quartz or rubidium oscillator continuously steered to agree with signals from the GPS satellites. Cannot be adjusted, but doesn’t need it. Price ranges from about $1 000 to $15 000 USD Are they an acceptable choice as a primary frequency standard? Choices in Frequency Standards

  13. Rubidium Oscillators • The least expensive atomic oscillator • Typically costs about 1/10 as much as a cesium, but its unadjusted accuracy is typically about 1000 times worse • $3,500 rubidium might be accurate to a few parts in 1010 after warm up • $35,000 cesium is likely to be accurate to within a few parts in 1013 • They need to be adjusted periodically • Frequency change (due to aging) can exceed 1 x 10-11 per month, or 1 x 10-10 per year • Not acceptable for BIPM key comparisons

  14. Cesium Oscillators • A true primary standard for a cal lab, since the SI second is defined based on cesium • Maintenance cost is high, since the beam tube (which is often more than half the cost of the oscillator) typically needs replacement after about 10 years • Can operate for many weeks, months, or years without requiring adjustment, maintaining average frequency of less than 1 × 10-13 if properly maintained. • Still needs to be checked against a secondary standard to make sure that it is working - a failed cesium becomes an OCXO.

  15. GPS Disciplined Oscillators (GPSDO) • A self-calibrating standard • Care must be taken to ensure that GPS signals are being received and that the GPSDO is working properly • Performance varies, but even the worst units will be accurate to better than 1 × 10-12 over a one day interval • Great performance for the money, but not adjustable and not accepted in BIPM key comparisons • A good thing to have, however, as a backup or secondary standard

  16. Ensemble Time Scales • Require multiple cesium oscillators. • Very expensive, but a time scale will be more stable than any of its individual clocks. It will also keep going if one of the clocks fails. • Requires measurement hardware, phase steppers, synthesizers, etc. • CENAM, NIST, NRC, and ONRJ now have ensemble time scales and can help other SIM labs that want to start one.

  17. UTC(NIST) Time Scale The NIST Time Scale consists of an ensemble of commercial clocks, currently six hydrogen masers and four cesium beam standards. The weighted average of these clocks generates continuous signals from a high resolution frequency synthesizer that is locked to a hydrogen maser. Both 5 MHz (frequency) and 1 pps (time) signals are generated. The clock ensemble is periodically calibrated using the NIST-F1 primary standard. Of course, a time scale can be built with fewer clocks and without hydrogen masers.. However, at least three cesiums are required. The time scales at CENAM and ONRJ have built or redesigned in recent years and provide excellent performance.

  18. Selecting Measurement Equipment

  19. Essential Equipment for a Frequency Measurement Laboratory • Essential Equipment • Primary Frequency Standard • Secondary Frequency Standard (if you don’t have a multi-clock time scale) • Distribution Amplifier • Oscilloscope • Universal Counter • Signal Generator

  20. Distribution Amplifier • The frequency signals (typically 10 MHz sine waves) from the lab’s primary standard can be distributed throughout the work area using a distribution amplifier. • Signals from the distribution amplifier should be used as the external time base for all instrumentation in the laboratory (counters and signal generators, for example). This will ensure that the lab’s measuring instruments have the same frequency accuracy as the primary standard.

  21. Oscilloscope • Allows the viewing of waveforms and pulses, an indispensable device for the time and frequency lab. • Can be used to measure frequency, but that should only be done if a counter is not available.

  22. Key Oscilloscope Specifications • Bandwidth • 20 MHz (low end) to 70 GHz (high end) • A 100 MHz unit is adequate for a timing lab • Time base range • Best scopes can scale from about 50 ps to 50 s per division (10 divisions) • A unit that scales from 5 ns to 50 s per division is adequate for a timing lab • Frequency Counter Resolution • Typically about 1 x 10-4 (1 kHz resolution at 10 MHz), not useful for any serious measurement, but provides quick check of frequency • Time Interval Resolution • Proportional to length of the interval • Typically about 1 x 10-4 (1 µs for 10 ms interval) • Number of channels • Ranges from 2 to 8 plus external trigger • 2 channel handles pattern drift method • t function is very useful for time interval measurements

  23. Universal Counter • Counts frequency, time interval, period, and events (totalize mode). Some universal counters include other functions like phase, peak voltage, rise/fall time, etc. • Probably the most important instrument in a time and frequency lab, useful in nearly all areas of T&F metrology.

  24. Universal Counter Specs (Frequency) • Frequency Range • 100 MHz (low end) to 50 GHz (high end) • For most purposes, a unit that can count up to 100 MHz is adequate. • Resolution (number of digits) • 7 digits ($200 counters) to 13 digits • 8-digit counter has 1 Hz resolution at 10 MHz: • 10 000 000 Hz • This allows it to detect frequency changes as small as 1 x 10-7 • 12-digit counter has 100 µs resolution at 10 MHz: • 10 000 000 000 0 Hz • This allows it to detect frequency changes as small as 1 x 10-11 • 12-digit counters are relatively cheap, and recommended • Any selected counter must be able to accept an external time base.

  25. Universal Counter Specs (Time Interval) • Time Interval Resolution • 100 ns (low end, period of 10 MHz time base) to 20 ps (high end) • Relatively low cost counters have 150 ps resolution, which is more than adequate. Smallest frequency offset which can be resolved at 1 second is 150 ps / 1 second, or 1.5 x 10-10. • Time Interval Accuracy and Range • Typically, no better than 1 ns for even the best counters, but it is not proportional to the length of the interval like it is for oscilloscopes. • A good counter can can measure intervals from 1 ns to about 100 000 seconds. The best oscilloscopes can measure shorter intervals, but it is unlikely that cal labs will need to do this.

  26. Signal Generator • Generates signals at user selectable frequencies and amplitudes • Some units (called function generators) generate a variety of different waveforms, other units generate just sinewaves and/or squarewaves

  27. Signal Generator Uses • Extremely useful tool for generating signals to test measurement systems. Also useful for repairing equipment. • Can generate frequencies with small offsets from nominal • Can generate a needed frequency locked to house reference, when no standalone oscillator exists • Can generate test signals needed to calibrate stopwatch calibrator or other systems

  28. Key Signal Generator Specifications • Frequency Range • 1 MHz or less (low end) to 100 GHz or more (high end) • A device that goes a little above 10 MHz is adequate. • Amplitude Range • 0.01 to 10 V peak-to-peak (50 ohms) is typical and will handle most lab functions • Resolution • Resolution tends to be lower on devices with the largest frequency range, for example a device that goes to 1 GHz probably will only have 1 or 10 Hz resolution. • 1 µHz resolution is about as good as it gets, and is desirable for cal lab purposes. It allows generating a 10 MHz signal with a 1 x 10-13 frequency offset. Some units extend 1 µHz resolution out to about 80 MHz. With a unit like that you can generate a signal with a 1.25 x 10-14 frequency offset. • External time base is mandatory

  29. Optional Equipment for a Frequency Measurement Laboratory(recommended for most labs) • Optional Equipment • An automated phase comparison system • Homebrew (PC and time interval counter, for example) • Commercially available phase comparator (heterodyne system, for example) • NIST Frequency Measurement System • Frequency Dividers and Multipliers • A stopwatch calibrator • Data Analysis Software (homebrew, Stable32, Excel, etc.)

  30. PC Data Acquisition System Basic Model of a Phase Comparator for Measuring Frequency Device Under Test Reference Frequency f0 f  f0 Comparator Oscilloscope, frequency counter, time interval counter, Dual Mixer Time Difference System

  31. Homebrew System • Several types of systems are possible, but the most practical would probably consist of a time interval counter, a PC, and software • Software must be written to collect a series of measurements from the counter (Basic, C, Labview, etc.) • Data can be analyzed using your own software, Stable 32, or Excel. You can download Francisco’s software for free from the SIM web site. • Frequency dividers must be built or purchased to divide the standard reference and DUT signals to a common low frequency, usually 1 Hz

  32. Time Interval Method

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