Scientists made clocks from an atomic nucleus

For the first time, scientists have used an atomic nucleus as a clock.

Clocks need to keep a steady rhythm. (Think of the swinging pendulum in a grandfather clock.) The new clocks are based on how light interacts with an atomic nucleus — the collection of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom. This technique could allow scientists to make clocks that tick more precisely than any before.

The world’s most precise timepieces are already made using atoms. Existing atomic clocks rely on their electrons. Clocks based on atomic nuclei might perform even better. Now, two teams of scientists have finally made the first nuclear clocks.

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This tech is still at an early stage. So nuclear clocks don’t yet tick more pr...