Two teams independently build the first nuclear clocks
Working with thorium-229, two separate groups demonstrated clocks that tick against transitions inside an atomic nucleus rather than the electron shell. Nuclear transitions resist environmental interference far better than atomic ones, potentially making these clocks more stable than the best optical atomic clocks by orders of magnitude.
Why it mattersNuclear clocks could redefine precision timekeeping and enable direct tests of whether the fundamental constants of physics actually hold steady over time.
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