The most accurate watch in the world

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created the most accurate watches in the world: they are based on the innovative method of quantum spectroscopy of the aluminum atom-27. The technology allows you to catch the transitions between the levels of the quantum state of an atom with a frequency of 8.6e – 18, that is, such a clock will not exceed a second error for at least 3.7 billion years.

They are more than two times more accurate than the previous version of the most accurate watches designed by the same group of scientists a year and a half ago (the differences between them are shown in the diagram below the habracat).

The new record holder has an error less than the standard of a second, that is, in a sense, this watch is more accurate than the time itself. One second according to the SI standard equals 9.192.631.770 periods of radiation of the cesium-137 atom. With the advent of new watches, this and other fundamental constants can be adjusted.

PS As correctly noted in the comments , the more accurate the clock on the GPS satellite, the more accurate the navigation. A NIST press release said that such accuracy would even allow aircraft to land on GPS.



Here is another diagram that shows the evolution of time measurement technology in the history of mankind.

via New Scientist