An Overview of Atomic Clocks

Dec 20

An Overview of Atomic Clocks

David Artsmith - If regular wall clocks stopped and you needed to reset it, you look at another time telling device to know what time it is. Now, if there was no other clock or watch, how would you know what time it was? This is the question scientists have tried to answer over time because it is possible that at a point in time you may have only one time piece and if that needs to be reset, you do not have any other reference to set your time.

Atomic clocks answer these difficulties. The atomic clock is a highly accurate and independent timepiece. They are so accurate that Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and television broadcasts rely on their horological properties to function. They employ oscillations between the atoms nucleus, and the electrons which orbit it, which gives it its name.

There are three main types of atomic wall clocks.

Cesium clocks constantly emit cesium atoms to keep time. These timepieces use a magnetic field, which separates the cesium atoms into different layers of energy. This type is the most complex and accurate of all atomic clocks.

The method that Hydrogen Clocks employ is to create a chamber which contains the hydrogen atoms, and does not allow them to easily escape.

Rubidium clocks apply rubidium gas glass cell to control optical and microwave frequencies to keep time. The Rubidium is the simplest of all atomic clocks.

Atomic clocks are widely used by the military, aerospace industry and satellite companies to keep accurate, reliable and standard time. They can be set up once and left to work for tens of years without any adjustment or power rundown.

One of the important things about accurate timekeeping is that it not only tells us when something occurred, it can also tell us the relative position and speed of that occurrence. Just think about a car. You measure the speed of the car according to how many miles were traveled per hour. This is the same idea employed to understand the speed of space craft, missiles, trains, and any other moving device. This shows the importance of having accurate timekeeping devices.