NIST Ion Clock Sets New Record for Most Accurate Clock in the World

48 voxadam 3 7/15/2025, 3:56:47 PM nist.gov ↗

Comments (3)

perihelions · 1m ago
Paper, non-paywall link,

https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.13071 ("High-Stability Single-Ion Clock with $5.5\times10^{-19}$ Systematic Uncertainty")

mikewarot · 13m ago
To keep things in perspective, a vertical shift of a few centimeters could be measured if two of these clocks were placed next to each other, just by the lesser gravity/time dilation at the increased "altitude".

It's an amazing time to be alive. While not this precise, you can have atomic cesium beam clocks of your own for a few thousand dollars each, and some elbow grease.

kridsdale3 · 10m ago
Someone call Hodinkee to write about this.