Nuclear clocks and precision measurement of fundamental physics
Quick dive
- Two teams in Europe and China reported the world’s first working nuclear clocks using thorium-229 nuclei embedded in calcium fluoride crystals.
- Nuclear clocks use a transition in the nucleus, which is shielded from many environmental disturbances that affect atomic electrons.
- The thorium-229 transition has unusually low energy and can be triggered by an ultraviolet laser, allowing optical feedback to stabilise the clock.
- Researchers hope more precise nuclear clocks can test whether dark matter changes fundamental constants and improve navigation, although the prototypes are not yet as precise as leading atomic clocks.
- exam_relevance: tests the atomic-versus-nuclear clock distinction, thorium-229’s low-energy transition and the dark-matter detection logic; these are specific concepts from the article, not generic space-science coverage.
Full explanation
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