Scatterings
A Fine Time Was Had by Al+
New experiments show that an optical clock based on an aluminum ion is the most precise in the world.
NIST postdoc James Chin-wen Chou with the world’s most precise clock, based on the vibrations of a single aluminum ion trapped inside the metal cylinder (center right).
New experiments show that an optical clock based on an aluminum ion is the most precise in the world. Chin-wen Chou and colleagues at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (Boulder, Colo., U.S.A.) demonstrated aluminum-ion-based clocks with precision an order of magnitude higher than cesium fountain clocks, on which the international time standard is based (Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 070802).
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