BOULDER, Colo., Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The atomic clock, already accurate to within a second every 60 million years, could be improved, University of Colorado scientists said.
The scientists at Boulder, Colo., built their clock using a lattice of laser beams that trap strontium atoms. Strontium atoms switch energy levels more than 1,000 times more rapidly than cesium ions used currently, NewScientist.com said. Until now, however, strontium's higher frequency ticks were difficult to measure.
After trapping the atoms within the laser lattice, the scientists shone another laser at the lattice, tuning its frequency until it began to resonate -- meaning its frequency matched the oscillating strontium electrons. The resonance then could be measured to provide a measurement of time.
Scientists said such atomic clocks could improve the accuracy of global positioning system devices and allow new, more accurate measurements of the fundamental constants that govern the universe.
