Quantum-logic clock loses a second in 3.7 billion years
Physicist Chin-wen (James) Chou and his colleagues from the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder have brought the time to a standstill with their claim of having built a clock which is 100,000 times more precise than the existing international standard, the cesium fountain clock. The timekeeper, or the quantum-logic clock detects the energy state of a single aluminum ion and is said to lose a second every 3.7 billion years, now that’s something for perfection.
The use of UV lasers on aluminum and magnesium ions instead of aluminum and beryllium, to see very thin vibrations, is what makes this quantum-logic clock twice or even more precise than any other such clock ever perceived. It isn’t known as to how many times the clock ticks per second, but the creators believe the quantum-logic clock is a good solution for scientists looking to solve the questions regarding speed of light in a vacuum, or Planck’s constant from quantum physics. The aluminum-ion clock isn’t being introduced as the international standard yet, but the development sure is no less than a breakthrough.
Via: WiredScience
