Physicists are getting closer to creating a long-sought ‘nuclear clock’. This device would keep time by measuring energy ...

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

Nuclear effect The deformed shape of the ytterbium-173 nucleus (right) makes it possible to excite the clock transition with a relatively low-power laser. The same transition is forbidden (left) if ...

Atomic clocks have long been the gold standard for measuring time and frequency. Among them, optical clocks—using atoms like strontium or aluminum—have reached staggering levels of accuracy, with ...

Optical clocks are highly precise timekeeping devices that measure time by tracking the oscillations of light, as opposed to microwaves, like conventional atomic clocks. The accuracy of these clocks ...

The way time is measured is on the edge of a historic upgrade. At the heart of this change is a new kind of atomic clock that uses light instead of microwaves. This shift means timekeeping could ...