INRIM: the Italian National Institute of Metrology

INRiM is responsible for realizing and maintaining Italy’s national standards for the International System of Units (SI). It conducts fundamental research in measurement science and related technologies. INRiM operates an ensemble of high-precision atomic clocks, both in the microwave and optical domains, contributing to the generation of the International Atomic Time. Clock signals are distributed to commercial and scientific users via the Italian Quantum Backbone fiber infrastructure.

Within SENSEI, INRiM brings expertise in high-coherence laser systems that are key to developing advanced fiber sensing techniques able to coexist with conventional data traffic. Using Piquet, the new nanofabrication facility coordinated by INRiM with the participation of Politecnico and University of Turin, the team will also explore the on-chip integration of these technologies.

INRiM has already demonstrated high-coherence laser sensing over live terrestrial and submarine optical networks, without disrupting data traffic, through collaboration with INGV (Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology), Open Fiber, the University of Malta and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL, UK). The latest results were presented during EGU25.

Read also:

• S. Donadello et al., “Seismic monitoring using the telecom fiber network,” Communications Earth & Environment 5, 178 (2024) https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01338-2
• G. Marra et al., “Ultrastable laser interferometry for earthquake detection with terrestrial and submarine cables,” Science  361, 486 (2018) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aat4458

SENSEI presents an exciting opportunity to further expand collaboration with geoscientists and telecom operators, with the goal of advancing sensing techniques that meet both user needs and network constraints—transforming global fiber networks into a vast, distributed sensor system.