For this nuclear clock, the scientists used ultraviolet light to excite nuclear particles in an atom of thorium-229 embedded in solid crystal. For decades, atomic clocks have been used in GPS technologies, for space exploration and for keeping international time. The study of physics itself could be revolutionized by using nuclear clocks alongside atomic clocks, according to Zhang. “If the nuclear clock and the atomic clock transition frequency ratio is changing over time, it would be an indication of new physics.”Though there is still much progress to be made before nuclear clocks surpass the performance of atomic clocks — or replace them — these findings hint that such a time isn’t far off, Kolkowitz said. “As better UV laser sources are developed and as some of the mysteries and tricks of nuclear clocks get worked out, I expect that eventually some of the kinds of experiments we are currently doing in my lab to test relativity and search for new physics with atomic clocks will instead be performed with nuclear clocks,” Kolkowitz said.

---

Persons: ”, Chuankun Zhang, Zhang, Olga Kocharovskaya, Kocharovskaya, ” Zhang, Shimon Kolkowitz, Kolkowitz, ” Kolkowitz, What’s, Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, National Institute of Standards, Technology, University of Colorado, Texas, M University, NASA, University of California, Scientific Locations: University of Colorado Boulder, Berkeley