Physicists from Uppsala University have developed a method for measuring time based on unique
The traditional approach to measuring time is basedon comparing the number of units of time that have elapsed between two given points in time, the researchers explain. But at the quantum level, the initial moment of time is often difficult to measure, in such a situation, even a traditional extremely accurate stopwatch will not work.
In their work, scientists used a variety ofRydberg atoms to measure time without a starting point. These are hydrogen-like atoms and alkali metal atoms, in which the outer electron is in a highly excited state. They resemble balloons that are “inflated” with laser energy instead of air, physicists explain.
Such atoms have a unique characteristic -wave packet, a set of waves characteristic of a given state that can be measured. Just as many waves in a pond intersect to create complex patterns, multiple wave packets interfere to form a unique print.
The researchers excited several helium atoms withusing a laser and compared the resulting results of the intersection of wave packets with theoretical predictions. A series of experiments have shown that they are sufficiently constant and reliable to serve as a form of quantum timestamp.
If you are using a counter, you must definezero. You start counting at some point. The advantage of the new method is that you don't have to start the clock - you just look at the interference structure and say, "OK, 4 ns has passed."
Martha Berholz, head of research at Uppsala University in Sweden, in an interview with New Scientist
Using the new method, scientists were able to measure time with an accuracy of 1.7 picoseconds (trillionths of a second).
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