Today’s most accurate clocks, says the team, can measure time to within 1x10-13s, based on frequency combs; the naturally occurring frequencies of atoms that respond to radiation. The device developed at UCLA has a volume of 1cm3 – small enough to fit on a standard silicon chip – and can measure time to 2.7x10-16s.
The UCLA team was able to shrink the mechanism’s size from something like that of a desktop computer by using a process similar to how silicon chips are made. Chee Wei Wong, a UCLA associate professor of electrical engineering, said because the clock is cast on a silicon chip, it is more reliable than previous models, which required additional stabilisation and control electronics to work.
The clock – shown in the middle of the image – could lead to more precise measurements of space and time and could have applications in optical, wireless and space based communications. It could also help further refine the absolute value of fundamental constants.
