Researchers have demonstrated a new optical atomic clock that uses a single laser and doesn't require cryogenic temperatures. By greatly reducing the size and complexity of atomic clocks without ...

World's first thorium-229 nuclear clock shows potential for ultra-precise timekeeping and fundamental physics tests.

Optical lattice clocks are emerging timekeeping devices based on tens of thousands of ultracold atoms trapped in an optical lattice (i.e., a grid of laser light). By oscillating between two distinct ...

(koto_feja/Getty Images) A breakthrough in chronometry decades in the making could redefine the limits of how we keep time.

The development of low-power, chip-scale atomic devices including clocks and magnetometers has been enabled by advances in the optical interrogation of atoms confined in microfabricated vapor cells 1.

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Picture a clock ...

In popular culture, lasers are often portrayed as portable blasters that superheat whatever they hit. Some lasers do deliver tremendous amounts of energy in reality, but for scientists and engineers, ...

Precision timekeeping has been rapidly evolving from astronomical observations in ancient times to mechanical clocks to quartz to present-day quantum atomic clocks, becoming a critical requirement in ...

Humanity has used clocks since we became aware of the concept of time. And as technology has improved, so have our time-keeping methods. Today, many people rely on digital clocks to track the hours ...

Vladan Vuletić with members of his Experimental Atomic Physics group. From left to right: Matthew Radzihovsky, Leon Zaporski, Qi Liu, Vladan Vuletić, and Gustavo Velez. Every time you check the time ...