The most accurate atomic clock on the planet has been created, which will lose a second every 30 billion years

Scientists at JILA, a joint institution of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder, have created the most accurate atomic clock in history.

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This clock, powered by super-cooled strontium atoms, is capable of counting time with incredible accuracy, losing just one second every 30 billion years.

Unlike standard atomic clocks using caesium atoms, the new device operates at optical frequencies, allowing it to "tick" trillions of times per second. This achievement not only doubles the accuracy of previous record holders, but also opens up the possibility of studying the subtle effects predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity, including the effect of gravity on time.

Such clock accuracy is critical for space agencies, which will have to navigate space without error. In addition, techniques for controlling supercooled atoms could find applications in quantum computers, where atoms cooled to near absolute zero are used as qubits.

The loss of one second every 30 billion years means that if such a clock started ticking at the beginning of the universe, the universe would still have to be more than twice its current age for the clock to lose even a second.

Source: NIST