Atomic clock - How they work

An atomic clock is a type of clock that uses an atomic resonance frequency standard as its counter. Early atomic clocks were masers with attached equipment. Today's best atomic frequency standards (or clocks) are based on more advanced physics involving cold atoms and atomic fountains. National standards agencies maintain an accuracy of 10-9 seconds per day, and a precision equal to the frequency of the radio transmitter pumping the maser. The clocks maintain a continuous and stable time scale, International Atomic Time (TA ...

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• Atomic clock - How they work
• Atomic clock - Research

Read more here: » Atomic clock: Encyclopedia - Atomic clock

Frequency reference masers use glowing chambers of ionized gas, most often caesium, because caesium is the element used in the official international definition of the second. Since 1967, the International System of Units (SI) has defined the second as 9,192,631,770 cycles of the radiation which corresponds to the transition between two energy levels of the ground state of the Caesium-133 atom. This definition makes the caesium oscillator (often called an atomic clock) the primary standard for time and frequency measurements (see caesium standard). Other physical quantities, like the volt and metre, rely on the definition o ...

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Atomic clock, Atomic clock - How they work, Atomic clock - Research

Read more here: » Atomic clock: Encyclopedia II - Atomic clock - How they work

Most research focuses on way to make the clocks smaller, cheaper, more accurate, and more reliable. These goals usually conflict. A lot of research currently focuses on various sorts of ion traps. Theoretically, a single ion suspended electromagnetically could be observed for very long periods, increasing the accuracy of the clock, while also reducing its size and power consumption. In practice, single-ion clocks have poor short term accuracy because the ion moves so much. Current research uses laser cooling of ions, with optic ...

See also:

Atomic clock, Atomic clock - How they work, Atomic clock - Research

Read more here: » Atomic clock: Encyclopedia II - Atomic clock - Research

Most research focuses on way to make the clocks smaller, cheaper, more accurate, and more reliable. These goals usually conflict. A lot of research currently focuses on various sorts of ion traps. Theoretically, a single ion suspended electromagnetically could be observed for very long periods, increasing the accuracy of the clock, while also reducing its size and power. In practice, single-ion clocks have poor short term accuracy because the ion moves so much. Current research uses laser cooling of ions, with optical resonator ...

See also:

Atomic clock, Atomic clock - How they work, Atomic clock - Research

Read more here: » Atomic clock: Encyclopedia II - Atomic clock - Research