After decades of research and effort, physicists have succeeded in building the world’s first practical nuclear clocks, an achievement achieved simultaneously and independently by two scientific teams in Europe and China.
These clocks operate using thorium-229 atoms and, unlike conventional atomic clocks that rely on electron oscillations, measure time based on changes in frequency and energy in the atomic nucleus.
Scientists say that the atomic nucleus, due to its location at the center of the atom and its less influence from environmental factors, is much more stable than electrons, and this can significantly increase the accuracy of time measurement.
Although this technology has not yet surpassed the most advanced atomic clocks available, researchers predict that nuclear clocks will become the most accurate timekeeping tools in the world in the coming years.
Scientists believe that this technology can play an important role in advancing fundamental physics research and even discovering unknown phenomena such as dark matter.
