These Super-Precise Clocks Help Weave Together Space And Time – Wired
With mechanical watches, we fret about precision in terms of seconds per day. But in the grander scheme of precision, it is remarkable to think about how big of a performance gap there is between state of the art mechanical watches, and atomic clocks. Jun Ye is a physicist at the research institute JILA, where he built the world’s most precise clock. Ye’s atomic clock uses strontium atoms and has a precision that is around 100 billion times more precise than a quartz watch. This clock, and its associated research, will be used to do a lot more than just keep you on time for your appointments. It is so precise, that it can be used to measure vast distances in space by measuring the time it takes for light to travel. Soon, these cesium-based atomic clocks will be miniaturized and placed on spacecraft for navigation. In 1761, John Harrison invented the marine chronometer, enabling accurate navigation at sea. 258 years later, clocks are still making navigation possible, this time in the vastness of space. To learn more, read this excellent piece from Sophia Chen for Wired.
– Nicholas Manousos, Technical Editor
from Best Watches For Men http://bit.ly/2Jg1jch