Austria's new atomic clock: A revolution in timekeeping awaits!

Austria's new atomic clock: A revolution in timekeeping awaits!

The latest technological development has arrived in Vienna-Ottakring: the most meticulous clock in Austria. This impressive optical atomic clock, housed in an inconspicuous 19-inch server cabinet, could soon establish itself as the country's most important clock. The Federal Office for Metrology and Surveying (BEV) is the location where this innovative clock was installed. It brings not only accuracy, but also a little Viennese charm into the world of timekeeping.

The watch was developed by a team led by Nobel Prize winner in physics Theodor W. Hänsch and researchers from the Ludwig Maximilians University and the Technical University of Munich. According to project leader Thorsten Schumm from the TU Vienna, it is the first commercial optical atomic clock that can be used not only in research, but also outside of the academic world.

The precision of the optical atomic clock

What makes this atomic clock so special? The answer lies in the technology: it is based on ytterbium ions and operates at frequencies far beyond what conventional cesium atomic clocks can offer. While the classic cesium clocks rely on quantum physical energy transitions of cesium atoms, the new clock brings a measurable improvement in accuracy. The measurement frequencies range from one hundred to one thousand terahertz, which promises a significant increase in precise time measurement.

The acquisition costs for this technological innovation amount to around three million euros, financed by the “Quantum Austria” infrastructure program. The innovative clock's signals will be transmitted via fiber optic cables to various research sites in Austria, and its use could have far-reaching implications for areas such as quantum communications and quantum computing.

A new benchmark for timekeeping

But that's not all. This new optical atomic clock could accelerate the push to redefine the second as the current cesium standard appears increasingly outdated. This also includes exciting possible applications such as measuring the smallest differences in height as well as changes in mass and gravity. A large number of atomic clocks around the world transmit their data to the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), which then publishes the International Atomic Time (TAI).

• Die erste Atomuhr wurde 1949 im National Bureau of Standards in den USA entwickelt.
• Im Jahr 1967 wurde die Dauer einer Sekunde international definiert.
• Die optischen Uhren, wie die jetzt in Wien installierte, haben das Potenzial, als neue Zeitnormen zu fungieren.

What the future will bring can only be guessed at. As researchers continue to develop new technologies, such as the first advances in manipulating atomic nuclei using lasers, the development of clocks even more precise than those of today may not be far off. The newly discovered “thorium transition” shows that the combination of quantum and nuclear physics could open up new ways of measuring time and, in the long term, could even help solve fundamental physics questions.

Such developments are not only a technical achievement, but also an exciting step into the future of research. The city of Vienna is positioning itself not only as a location for innovative technologies, but also as a setting for the next revolution in time measurement.