The world’s most accurate atomic clock will only be reset every 30 billion years.

Scientists at JILA (Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics) have decided that it is time for a truly accurate atomic clock. So accurate that if we were to estimate how much time has passed since the universe existed, it would almost certainly be insignificant. Because the universe is estimated to be 13.8 billion years old, this atomic clock, It only lags one second every 30 billion years.This means you don’t even have to set the time yet.

Brand new project

Over time, JILA experts have developed different atomic clocks and systems, which gradually provide a high level of accuracy. But, on this occasion, they wanted to go even further. To do so, what they did was: Combining different systems in the same project And make some modifications. In their other atomic clocks they used cesium atoms, and on this occasion, what they did was convert them to strontium.

In addition, they not only modified the configuration, but also the way the clock works. In this case, they did not use microwaves to measure strontium ticks, which generate 429 billion ticks per second, but they resorted to visible light waves. The frequency of these is higher, which made it possible to give the project Completely different process.

How did they create it?

They say that the strontium atoms that have gathered and condensed in the same place are so concentrated that the accuracy of the timekeeping increases dramatically. And so they were able to verify, through calculations and tests, that the only delay that occurs is one second every 30 billion years. To make everything work properly, what the team did was to introduce the atoms into a light trap that is softer and shallower than usual. They decided on this purposefully. Avoid the problems I faced. Previously with other atomic clocks, accuracy was lost as a result of atoms colliding with each other.

With the performance they were able to achieve, which is already considered not only a record, but a ceiling that other scientists may not care to exceed, This maximum accuracy is achieved Which would prevent the clock from being adjusted for thousands of years. That is, of course, if the atomic clock in question still exists. Because given that it can take 30 billion years to be off by one second and the universe is still in the middle of that period, the clock will likely not come into existence when that day comes.

In practical terms, the existence of such an atomic clock It can be very useful for scientists.. It could give them the opportunity to do very precise work and improve or develop all sorts of systems where the difference of a second could be vital. For example, it could be really useful for improving the way GPS works. Its creators also say that the precision is so high that they can detect effects of such a small magnitude that they cannot calculate otherwise, extending even to the microscopic scale. This is a huge advance in terms of the way we understand time, how we manage it and how we understand different aspects of physics that can now be explored in greater depth using this tool.