Monday, March 19, 2012

new nuclear clock with unparalleled accuracy

The standard nuclear clock is actually based on atomic physics as opposed to nuclear physics. Atomic clocks are used in many scientific disciplines, such as for long-baseline interferometry in radio-astronomy as well as GPS systems and time signal radio transmitters. They are used for their extremely high precision, but that may change in the near future. the new proposed time keeping technology is tied to the orbiting of a neutron around an atomic nucleus. It could have such unprecedented accuracy that it neither gains nor loses 1/20th of a second in 14 billion years. This nearly 100 times more accurate than the atomic clocks we use today. Scientists could be able to better test fundamental physical theories at unprecedented levels of precision and provide an unmatched tool for applied physics research. This could also assist fundamental physics and system synchronization in particle accelerators and improve further diversified applications previously unreachable by atomic clocks. It is much better than standard atomic clocks because the neutron is held so tightly to the nucleus and its oscillation rate is almost completely unaffected by any external perturbations, unlike those of an atomic clock's electrons, which are much more loosely bound. Simply put, this new nuclear clock with unparalleled accuracy could be the new technology that helps probe science with more detail.

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