From Fighter Jets to Space: AccuBeat's Atomic Clocks

The most complex intelligence systems, the most advanced fighter jets, and the most sensitive communication devices are all based on atomic clocks. "The idea behind atomic clocks is very similar to the wristwatch we all know, the only difference being the level of accuracy," explains Benny Levy, CEO of AccuBeat. "Atomic clocks can track time with an accuracy of billionths of a second."

According to Levy, the military uses of atomic clocks are quite extensive. "When we look at wireless communications, a security outfit cannot transmit on one fixed frequency because the enemy will be able to detect that frequency and block it. To cope with this challenge, military systems jump from frequency to frequency. The entire military network jumps between frequencies at a rate that can reach thousands of jumps per second. The atomic clock determines when each skip takes place, enabling full synchronization and protection against communication blockage."

"The best example of how important synchronization is between military systems is the Iranian attack on Israel, on April 14," he adds. "That night, there were hundreds of planes in the air – operating alongside countless air defense systems. They were all perfectly synced with each other, using the same exact atomic clocks. This solution is used today by almost every security organization in the world."

In 2024, atomic clocks are also playing a significant role in intelligence gathering. "Suppose we want to verify the location of a radar in an enemy country. We use four sensors with atomic clocks that pick up the radar signal and put together the information they collect. With the information collected, we can build a system of equations with four unknowns; the solution is the location of the radar. Time ´ speed = distance, and atomic clocks allow us to get time synchronization with an accuracy of billionths of a second. The result is that we can locate radars and other intelligence targets with a precision of a few meters. The military advantages are dramatic: we no longer need to send twenty planes to bomb one target: one missile is enough."

American recognition delegation

AccuBeat was founded in 1993 by Benny Levy and Dr. Avinoam Stern. "From the first moment we knew that this field is both fascinating from a technological point of view and looks promising in terms of its possible uses," Levy says. "We quickly ran into a problem called GPS. Go explain to people why they need atomic clocks when the satellites send them the exact time free of charge. When we told people that GPS systems might be blocked in the moment of truth, we were met with a smirk."

Nevertheless, Levy and Stern believed in the potential of atomic clocks and set out on their journey independently. "We started out like a company working out of the garage: we rented a small office of 15 square meters in Jerusalem, purchased equipment, and went to work. In the end, we managed to develop the smallest atomic clock in the world, of extremely high precision. Slowly, we began to enter the market of defense systems, and at some point, we won a US Department of Defense tender."

AccuBeat was selected to develop an atomic clock for the US Air Force that could function even under conditions of a nuclear explosion. "The clock we developed was intended for strategic US bombers," Levy explains. "I guess we made a successful product because one day we were told that a US Air Force colonel was supposed to come and give us a certificate of recognition. At the time, we were located in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem that became famous for its Shabbat demonstrations, so we reached the conclusion that we needed to find proper offices. Avinoam was sent to delay the Americans and I was sent to quickly give a facelift to our new office in Har Hotzvim, the high-tech area of Jerusalem. Two days after we moved into the new offices, the American delegation arrived with the certificate of recognition."

Principles of quantum physics

Unlike the quartz watches we all know, the atomic clocks produced by AccuBeat are based on the principles of quantum physics. Their clock systems measure time using the waves emitted by photons from inside the atom. Because photon emission waves are periodic, AccuBeat's atomic clocks are capable of reaching an extremely high level of accuracy.

Atomic clocks are also used for purposes other than security and defense. "The civilian uses of our products are quite extensive," Levy says. "In electricity production, for example, different facilities are used, all of which send the electricity to the same copper cables. The electricity looks like a sine wave, so you must synchronize the different waves. Everything must be timed up to the millionth of a second. This synchronization helps maintain the power grid even in the event that one of the facilities is damaged."

Atomic clocks are also used in data centers, banking, the energy industry, cellular communication systems, and GPS systems. "Satellite systems in space need precise atomic clocks," he explains. "Today, superpowers are all building competing GPS systems: the Russians, the Chinese, and the Europeans. Inside the European satellite system, called Galileo, are atomic clocks made by AccuBeat."

Research in deep space

About a year ago, AccuBeat took part in a historic mission: the launching of a spacecraft on a scientific mission to Jupiter and its moons. "Under the Juice program, the European Space Agency decided to send a spacecraft to Jupiter to investigate the possibility of life," Benny Levy says. "There is a distance of 900 million kilometers from Earth to the Jupiter region, so they needed a very stable and accurate clock for this mission. The Europeans approached us based on the work we did with leading armies and the special clocks we provided for the Galileo program, and chose us for the mission."

It took AccuBeat eight years to develop the ultra-stable oscillator (USO) clock for the advanced spacecraft. "We worked in cooperation with the Israel Space Agency, which was the entry ticket of the State of Israel to this project. The spacecraft was launched more than a year ago and is expected to reach its destination in six years. The implications of reliability are enormous. We developed the clock for eight years, the European Space Agency tested it for two more, after which the clock was launched on an eight-year journey in space, and it is expected to carry out its mission for four more years. In other words, this is a clock that must work without breaking down for a very long time," he concludes. "Before the launch, after the Europeans checked the clock, NASA told us that the results seemed too good to be true. If the European Space Agency hadn't signed off on the reliability of the results, they said, NASA would have had a hard time believing the phenomenal results of the AccuBeat clock. The result is that we developed the most stable clock ever sent into deep space."

With the advanced product that AccuBeat developed, manufactured, and supplied to the European Space Agency, the State of Israel entered for the first time the prestigious club of countries that manufacture and supply products for deep space.

In association with AccuBeat