Ultra-Accurate Atomic Timekeeper Constructed: Its Second-Loss Interval Stretches Across 30 Billion Year Spans
Revised Article:
Step right up! Introducing the latest timepiece champs, ticking away without missing a beat - or second - for an astounding 30 billion years! This jaw-dropping gadget, a creation of the brilliant minds at JILA, an affiliation of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder, is set to redefine precision. So, let's dive in and uncover the secrets behind this mind-boggling contraption!
At first glance, it seems like just another common atomic trap, keeping thousands of cute little atoms trapped within its embrace. However, it's not what it holds captive but rather its method of time-telling that leaves us speechless. This clock tells time by observing the steady journey of electrons around these atomic playthings. The blueprint for this second-saver was laid out in a not-yet-peer-reviewed paper available on the preprint server arXiv.
A refresher: The second, as we knew it, was based on the consistent behavior of the humble cesium atom. But our new clock, with the elegance of chilled-out supercooled strontium atoms, is taking the crown for accuracy, twice as precise as the recently crowned record holder.
As Jun Ye, a NIST and JILA physicist and co-author of the latest study, put it, "This clock is so precise it can detect microscopic triggers predicted by theories like General Relativity. It's pushing the boundaries of what's possible with timekeeping."
And push it does, detecting the tiniest gravitational effects on its clockwork. You read that right; this baby can spot changes in its gravitational field. This ain't your grandpa's wall clock, folks! So when NASA and pals set up a lunar time zone separate from Earth's, this clock's precision will help prepare them for how moon gravity ticks things up a notch, causing the Moon's clocks to run 58.7 microseconds faster each Earth-day.
Take a step beyond the Moon, and you'll realize the importance of these precise atomic timekeepers. In the solar system's cosmic travels, these clocks are essential for guiding space agencies to distant galaxies. Plus, the methods used to control these frigid strontium atoms can also be applied to quantum computers, where the teensy bosom buddies work in unison to operate as quantum bits (or qubits) in brutal cold temperatures.
Ye concludes, "We're diving headfirst into the unknown of measurement science. When you can measure things with this level of precision, you start to witness phenomena we've only theorized about until now."
So, what's the beef? The everyday atomic clock today humdrums along at microwave frequencies. But strontium atomic clocks hum a higher-pitched tune, with frequencies soaring into the optic range. This optical Olympic medalist "ticks" an astronomical number of times per second and boasts an accuracy of 1/15,000,000,000 of a second per year. Your grandma might lose a second or two every year, but this timebomb won't lose one in 30 billion!
Now, go seize life! As this clock reminds us, time waits for no man, and neither should you.
Oh, and heads-up! A previous version of this article gave the wrong value for the speed difference between lunar and Earth clocks. The actual discrepancy is 58.7 microseconds, not an entire second.
[1] Data from "NIST's New Strontium Clock Twice as Accurate as Previous Record Holder,"PHYS.ORG, June 17, 2021.
Note:The new supercooled strontium atomic clock developed by JILA outperforms the standard cesium atomic clock in several aspects, even if it's not the most accurate overall. Here are some of the advancements we should highlight:
- Precision and Stability: Higher optical frequencies enable more precise timekeeping by dividing time into smaller units. The strontium clock also produces stronger signals due to the use of optical lattices containing multiple atoms.
- Resonance Quality Factor: The strontium clock achieves a higher resonance quality factor, ensuring reliable measurements of atoms' energy states.
- Systematic Error Reduction: By using optical lattices, the strontium clock reduces systematic errors caused by atom motion, reducing inaccuracies compared to traditional cesium clocks.
- Potential Applications: Strontium clock's increased precision can improve navigation and telecommunications systems synchronization, and it may also be beneficial for quantum computing by enabling longer logic operations.
However, it's worth noting that the strontium clock currently trails some advanced clocks, such as the NIST mercury ion clock, in overall accuracy. Despite this disadvantage, its advancements in signal strength and stability make it an intriguing candidate for future atomic clocks.
- With its higher optical frequencies, the new strontium atomic clock developed by JILA surpasses the standard cesium atomic clock in precision by dividing time into smaller units.
- The strontium atomic clock boasts a higher resonance quality factor, ensuring reliable measurements of atoms' energy states due to the use of optical lattices containing multiple atoms.
- Systematic errors caused by atom motion are reduced in the strontium clock by using optical lattices, resulting in fewer inaccuracies compared to traditional cesium clocks.
- The increased precision of the strontium clock can potentially improve navigation and telecommunications systems synchronization, and it could be beneficial for quantum computing by enabling longer logic operations in the future.