Claire Cramer, the executive director of quantum science at the University of California, Berkeley, who was in attendance, expressed optimism about the potential of solid-state nuclear clocks: “This ...

Scientists are exploring a new type of optical atomic clock based on ytterbium-173 ions that could help define the future ...

For decades, atomic clocks have provided the most stable means of timekeeping. They measure time by oscillating in step with the resonant frequency of atoms, a method so accurate that it serves as the ...

At this point, atomic clocks are old news. They’ve been quietly keeping our world on schedule for decades now, and have been through several iterations with each generation gaining more accuracy. They ...

Unlike other atoms (left), ytterbium-173 (right) has a large nuclear spin and a strongly deformed nucleus whose strong fields interact with the electron shell. This turns forbidden quantum jumps into ...

This breakthrough in precision timing is about the size of your fingernail and only loses one second every 30,000 years.

Smaller version Illustration of a conventional atomic fountain clock (left) next to NPL’s miniature atomic fountain clock. (Courtesy: NPL) A miniature version of an atomic fountain clock has been ...