Singapore Researchers Advance Precision With Lutetium Atomic Clock

Researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed an atomic clock that they say has achieved the highest level of accuracy yet reported for an optical atomic clock . The work, led by scientists at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), was published in Nature on 23 September and centres on a clock built using the element lutetium. The development could support future scientific research, improve timekeeping standards and contribute to emerging applications in precision measurement.

Atomic clocks underpin many modern systems, including satellite navigation, communications infrastructure and transport networks. Current global time standards are based on caesium atomic clocks, which have been in use since the 1960s. Researchers worldwide are now exploring optical atomic clocks that operate at higher frequencies and can measure time with even greater precision.