New Most Precise Clock Based On Aluminum Ion

eldavojohn writes "The National Institute for Standards and Technology has unveiled a new clock that will 'neither gain nor lose one second in about 3.7 billion years,' making it an atomic clock twice as precise as the previous pacesetter, which was based on mercury atoms. Experts call it a 'milestone for atomic clocks.' The press release describes the workings: 'The logic clock is based on a single aluminum ion (electrically charged atom) trapped by electric fields and vibrating at ultraviolet light frequencies, which are 100,000 times higher than microwave frequencies used in NIST-F1 and other similar time standards around the world.' This makes the aluminum ion clock a contender to replace the standard cesium fountain clock (within 1 second in about 100 million years) as NIST's standard. For those of you asking 'So what?' the article describes the important applications such a device holds: 'The extreme precision offered by optical clocks is already providing record measurements of possible changes in the fundamental "constants" of nature, a line of inquiry that has important implications for cosmology and tests of the laws of physics, such as Einstein's theories of special and general relativity. Next-generation clocks might lead to new types of gravity sensors for exploring underground natural resources and fundamental studies of the Earth. Other possible applications may include ultra-precise autonomous navigation, such as landing planes by GPS.'"

Comments

Plane landings?

[Dynedain]

If you need a clock that's accurate to 8.6 x 10^-19 seconds in order to land a plane, you're probably doing it wrong.

Re:Assuming We're still around

[Locke2005]

Uh, I think what they really mean is that it is accurate to about one four-billionith of a second per year, which beats the heck out a Timex. I don't think anyone seriously believes the device itself will last long enough to lose or gain even a microsecond.

Re:Extraordinary claims

[pnewhook]

Or if they move it. Once they do general relativity takes over and the time is now 'wrong' according to a stationary observer.

Even Better

[causality]

For those of you asking 'So what?' [ ... ]

Do you have any idea how many Slashdot articles could benefit from such an explanation?