Ytterbium gains ground in quest for next-generation atomic clocks
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 - 15:56
in Physics & Chemistry
An experimental atomic clock based on ytterbium atoms is about four times more accurate than it was several years ago, giving it a precision comparable to that of the NIST-F1 cesium fountain clock, the nation's civilian time standard, scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) report in Physical Review Letters.*