Scientists develop a clock so precise that it could detect dark matter

You may not be able to wear it on your wrist, but physicists have created two clocks so accurate that they will not waste time in the next 15 billion years.

The research, published Wednesday in Nature, describes an atomic clock using an optical network composed of laser beams trapping ytterbium atoms. Each atom has a constant vibration frequency, which allows physicists to measure how the ytterbium atoms transition between two energy levels, which essentially creates the "tick" of the energy. ;clock.

Physicists based at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Maryland have compared two independent atomic clocks to record new benchmarks of historical performance under three key metrics: systematic uncertainty, stability, and reproducibility.

Andrew Ludlow, Project Manager, told NIST that these three measures can be considered the "royal flush of performance" of atomic clocks. The ability to reproduce the accuracy of the ytterbium lattice clock in two independent experiments is of particular importance as it shows for the first time, according to Ludlow, that the clock's performance is "limited by the gravitational effects of the Earth ".

As suggested by Einstein's general theory of relativity, gravity plays a fundamental role in time. Think of the aquatic world of Interstellar where every hour that pbades on the planet equals seven Earth years because of its high gravity. In the case of the ytterbium network clock here, the vibratory frequency will change under a different gravity – the atoms would vibrate at a different speed on the aquatic world of Interstellar than on Earth.

And physicists can use Einstein's theory to their advantage. The NIST atomic clock becomes so sensitive that moving it away from the surface of the Earth would produce a noticeable difference in the way the clock ticks. Concretely, it means that the clock can measure not only the time … but space-time.

Cue the puffed spirits.

With such precision, the clock could theoretically be used to detect cosmic phenomena such as gravitational waves or dark matter. Although we do not know exactly what black matter is, provided that this has effects on the physical constants, it might be possible to see it.

The breakthrough also marks an important turning point for the Earth, enabling unprecedented measurements when studying the orientation of the Earth in space and its form. If more of these clocks were scattered all over the world, the accuracy of the clock would allow measurements of the shape of the Earth to be resolved to within a centimeter – better than any current technology.

In September, the cryogenic oscillator in sapphire – or Cryoclock – was unveiled by researchers from the University of Adelaide. This clock, which works a bit differently from the optical network clock described today, was developed for radar communications. Sometimes I can not even look at my watch without being absolutely stunned on time, so I tell you to raise your hand for the exact revolution of the clock.

It's time.

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