Crystalline silicon cavities serve as ultralow-phase-noise optical local oscillators for optical atomic frequency standards and can support the realization of optical timescales. While a JILA/PTB team has built and tested several silicon cavities over the past decade, similar cavities are not readily available to other potential users. We propose to combine AOSenses expertise in laser-frequency stabilization and optomechanical, thermal, and packaging engineering together with University of Colorado Boulders expertise in building silicon cavities to assess the feasibility and plan the development of a transportable, rugged, silicon cavity.
