For many years, cesium atomic clocks have been reliably keeping time around the world. But the future belongs to even more ...

Smaller version Illustration of a conventional atomic fountain clock (left) next to NPL’s miniature atomic fountain clock.

For decades, atomic clocks have provided the most stable means of timekeeping. They measure time by oscillating in step with the resonant frequency of atoms, a method so accurate that it serves as the ...

Nuclear clocks are the next big thing in ultra-precise timekeeping. Recent publications in the journal Nature propose a new method and new technology to build the clocks. Timekeeping has become more ...

Breakthrough could pave the way for next-generation GPS in drones, smartphones and self-driving cars, scientists say. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Atomic clocks and frequency standards represent the pinnacle of precision timekeeping technology. By harnessing the natural oscillatory behaviour of atoms, these devices deliver unparalleled accuracy ...

Which atomic clocks are best? The first time zone, Greenwich Mean Time, was established in the late 1600s to assist sailors before the invention of the train and railway in the mid-1800s expanded the ...

Like the teeth of a comb, a microcomb consists of a spectrum of evenly distributed light frequencies. Optical atomic clocks can be built by locking a microcomb tooth to a ultranarrow-linewidth laser, ...

This has now paved the way for a multi-ion optical ytterbium clock that combines the high accuracy of single-ion clocks with ...