Scientists Develop Nuclear Clocks, Promising a New Era of Ultra-Precise Timekeeping
By
Darren Orf
Summary
Two new independent studies are heralding a new era of timekeeping with the development of nuclear clocks, which use the nucleus of atoms rather than electron transitions to keep time. Building on nearly 80 years of atomic clock technology pioneered by NIST, these nuclear clocks promise even greater precision than atomic clocks, which have already achieved measurement down to the 19th decimal point. The innovation represents a fundamental shift from atomic to nuclear timekeeping.
Source
Twitter / XScientists Develop Nuclear Clocks, Promising a New Era of Ultra-Precise Timekeepingpopularmechanics.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledNearly 80 years ago, the atomic clock—first built by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards (now known as National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST)—revolutionized timekeeping.
One research group even created an aluminum ion clock capable of measuring time down to the 19th decimal point.
Now, two new independent studies are heralding a new era of timekeeping—that of nuclear clocks, timekeeping devices that rely on the nucleus itself.
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