BOULDER — A new atomic clock is more than twice as accurate as its predecessors, but this clock is more likely to help researchers study the universe than help a parent pick the kids up on time.
The clock’s ticks, based on the atomic resonance of strontium atoms, are accurate to within one second in 200 million years, according to work published in the journal Science on Thursday by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado.
The atomic clock currently used as the standard in the United States is based on the atom cesium, and it is accurate to within a second in 80 million years.
Precise clocks help scientists take measurements in studies of basic physics and help synchronize telecommunications networks.
