Even with current technology, scientists continue to work on how to keep track of time. Nuclear clocks could be a vital step toward faster internet speeds and more precise GPS navigation.
A new report published in Nature reveals how researchers are making strides toward developing a nuclear clock. Currently, the world relies on atomic clocks. These work by turning laser light to specific frequencies, causing electrons to jump between energy levels. These atoms, the building blocks of matter, are what makes precise timekeeping possible.
Nuclear clocks go a step further. Instead of using signals from electrons, a nuclear clock would rely on the nucleus, where protons and neutrons are densely packed. It’s this area scientists believe can assist them in even more precise timekeeping.
While no nuclear clock has been completed yet, all the essential technology is in place. Far more accurate than current atomic clocks, there could be major upgrades in store for critical pieces of technology, such as GPS systems and internet synchronization.
Hurdles still exist on the way to these clocks, such as how most atomic nuclei require powerful X-rays to make the energy jumps needed for the clock to work. That adjoining technology isn’t quite here yet.
In their latest tests, researchers managed to create a device with a level of precision 1 million times greater than previous measurements. They even compared their results to one of the world’s most accurate atomic clocks. That marked the first time a direct frequency link between nuclear transitions and atomic clocks has been established.
Some day soon, nuclear clocks could change the face of many pieces of technology. It could change the way people navigate and keep time forever.