Revolutionary Breakthrough at JILA Promises Unprecedented Accuracy
Introduction: A new era in time measurement
In a groundbreaking development, scientists at JILA, a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have successfully laid the groundwork for the world’s first nuclear clock. This pioneering timekeeping device is set to redefine precision in measuring time, surpassing the capabilities of current atomic clocks.
How it works: Atomic vs. nuclear clocks
While atomic clocks rely on the vibrations of atoms to measure time, nuclear clocks take a step further by using signals from the nucleus of an atom. This novel approach promises to deliver even higher precision.
Currently, atomic clocks represent the gold standard in time measurement. They coordinate international time zones, synchronize financial transactions, and enhance global positioning systems (GPS), digital communication, and internet speeds. However, the advent of the nuclear clock is poised to revolutionize these applications with greater accuracy.
The Science behind the precision
The nuclear clock’s superior precision stems from its reliance on energy jumps from the core of an atom. “The nuclear clock’s energy level is closely coupled to strong forces in the nucleus, while atomic clocks mainly depend on electromagnetic forces,” explained Chuankun Zhang, a physicist at JILA, in an interview with Interesting Engineering. “Thus, a nuclear-atomic clock comparison can provide sensitive tests for fundamental physics,” he added.
Assembling the world’s first nuclear clock
Although the nuclear clock has yet to be fully assembled, researchers have successfully gathered all the necessary components. “We managed to improve the accuracy of this measurement by a million times compared to previous measurements,” said Zhang. “This allows us to resolve the quantum energy sublevels of this nuclear transition for the first time,” he added.
When will the clock start ticking?
Zhang and his team are currently focused on enhancing the spectroscopy resolution and evaluating systematic shifts in the transition to achieve optimal clock accuracy. “Essentially, we have all the parts for a nuclear clock already demonstrated in the lab. We have not used them for the actual clock operation, but there’s no technical difficulty in building one any day now,” Zhang stated.
“We can probe the nuclear transition in a solid-state system, which would allow us to build a much simpler clock than today’s atomic clocks without needing technologies like an ultrahigh vacuum, laser cooling, and trapping, etc.,” Zhang elaborated.
A quantum leap in timekeeping
The successful development of the world’s first nuclear clock marks a significant milestone in the field of time measurement. As scientists inch closer to operationalizing this groundbreaking device, the potential applications and implications for various technologies are immense. The nuclear clock not only promises to enhance current systems but also opens new avenues for exploring fundamental physics.