Clocks synchronized at the quantum limit

Nov 07, 2023

David Gozzard is in the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research and Department of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, Australia.

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Communications networks, satellite navigation and fundamental-physics experiments that test the general theory of relativity are just a few of the diverse systems that rely on networks of modern atomic clocks. These clocks are precise to a few parts in 1018, which is roughly equivalent to being able to measure the time between now and the Big Bang with an uncertainty of only one second1. However, to take advantage of this precision, the time signal from the atomic clock needs to be transmitted reliably. Writing in Nature, Caldwell et al.2 demonstrate a technique that could be used to transmit atomic-clock time signals between Earth and satellites without compromising the signals’ precision and accuracy, which are limited only by the quantum nature of light.

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Nature 618, 680-681 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01937-7

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The author declares no competing interests.

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