Strontium Atomic Clock

The world's most accurate atomic clock based on neutral atoms has been demonstrated by physicists at JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder. The JILA strontium clock would neither gain nor lose a second in more than 200 million years. Bathed in red laser light at exactly the right frequency, strontium atoms "tick" 430 trillion times a second. Ultrahigh accuracy atomic clocks are critical for GPS navigation, space travel, high-speed computer networking, advanced chemistry, and many other applications. For more information see: http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/clock/clock.html .

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NIST
• JILA
• atomic
• clock
• light
• laser
• cold
• research
• atoms
• matter
• optical
• quantum
• strontium
• frequency
• comb
• lattice

[usnistgov]

Thanks for checking out our videos. Please add your comments and let us know what you think. We will be reviewing and then posting comments as long as they are on topic, respectful and do not promote specific products or services.”

[uturniaphobic]

I think it's no coincidence that we've come to find rate of decay as the most accurate measure of time. I am thinking time is the bi-product of this process.

[JosephGubbels]

2:00

"Quantum coherence -- light waves match up with atoms...

... to produce "ticks" for an atomic clock"

I understand that one of the two waves is light, but what is the one for atoms representing?

Is this the periodic change is energy level of their valence electrons?

And is the waves corresponding to light representing the frequency of the lasers?

[jihadforsatan]

im lost!

[lesorciercalifornien]

@EGMAG If time isn't physical then how would they know if they have it?

[Volcomite21]

Wow that is amazing.

[EGMAG]

Precision measurement being based on the time lapse between light interacting with matter and the force of gravitational interactions, is still basing distance between objects, no matter what size, as influencing time. I don't see any correlation between physicalness and time which is not physical; even on the sub-atomic particle scale.

PS if light can be bent then it has mass and if light has mass than it is physical. Time is not!

Please discuss when you have time?