FOR THE discerning timekeeper, only an atomic clock will do. Whereas the best quartz timepieces will lose a millisecond every six weeks, an atomic clock might not lose a thousandth of one in a decade.

Atomic clocks that excite the nucleus of thorium-229 embedded in a transparent crystal when hit by a laser beam could yield the most accurate measurements ever of time and gravity, and even rewrite ...

When it comes to navigation in outer space, keeping precise time is incredibly important, that's why NASA needs to use ...

The heart of a minuscule atomic clock—believed to be 100 times smaller than any other atomic clock—has been demonstrated by scientists at the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and ...

Over the years, many new amenities have been installed in space, one of them being atomic clocks. These clocks aid the human population in a myriad of ways, like in GPS navigation, internet timing, ...

For many years, cesium atomic clocks have been reliably keeping time around the world. But the future belongs to even more accurate clocks: optical atomic clocks. In a few years' time, they could ...

Atomic clocks are based upon quartz crystals. These crystals vibrate at a very uniform rate when an electric current is passed through them. By measuring minute variations in those vibrations over ...

Time feels familiar. It marks every moment of daily life, from the ticking of a wall clock to the changing numbers on a ...

The timekeeping device is made with atomic nuclei of thorium, although it is not yet more precise than standard atomic clocks. Reading time 2 minutes Meet the “nuclear” clock: a device that marks the ...