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GPS is one of the wonders of the modern world that we take for granted. With this global positioning system with precisely positioned satellites, you can locate your position anywhere on Earth with an accuracy of a few meters. A hundred years ago, browsers would have paid a lot for such an opportunity.
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However, the GPS is not perfect. Sometimes the GPS signal disappears when we cross tunnels and sometimes the signal is far from being as accurate as it should be. Even for current travelers, GPS can be a headwind. However, a new invention can remedy this by moving the atomic clocks used in GPS satellites from the clbad of portable devices to laptops.
GPS works because every satellite in the system has an incredibly precise atomic clock. These atomic clocks are so accurate that an error of less than a second can occur within ten (10) billion years. This precision is necessary because GPS systems must take into account the effects of Einstein's theory of special relativity when calculating your position. If the satellite clock is inaccurate for at least a fraction of a second, your position will be within a few tens or hundreds of meters.
When the GPS of your car or smartphone loses communication with GPS satellites, it also loses communication with hyper-precise atomic clocks that fly there. Then, basically, we find ourselves in the place of these old browsers, just without their skills. To solve this problem, a group of scientists from the University of Susbad in England proposed a way to reduce the atomic clock to a real portable clock.
The breakthrough has occurred in the field of the atomic clock. Atomic clocks follow the time according to the frequency of the light emitted by certain atoms. The true device for measuring this frequency is called a "comb" and is usually one of the most important components of modern atomic clocks. Researchers in Susbad have found ways to dramatically reduce combs by integrating them into a small chip.
Such a chip uses much less energy than a standard atomic clock. Of course, although small atomic clocks are part of everyday life, there will always be a wait, but this feat is an important sign on the road to such clocks.
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