The article discusses various types of atomic clocks and their applications in different fields. Rubidium clocks, which are smaller and cheaper than cesium or optical clocks, are widely used in telecommunications, scientific research, and GPS systems. These clocks work by using the resonant frequency of rubidium atoms to measure time. Hydrogen masers, which use hydrogen atoms to create microwaves, are more stable and accurate than rubidium clocks but are larger and more expensive.
The article also mentions chip-scale atomic clocks, which are smaller and more energy-efficient than traditional atomic clocks. These clocks, based on rubidium atoms, have been used by the military and oil and gas companies for navigation and seismic exploration. More recently, researchers have been working on developing nuclear clocks, which could potentially be more stable and accurate than existing clocks by using quantum jumps within the nucleus of thorium-229 atoms.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/atomic-clocks/clocks-galore
Keywords: Resonant frequency, Atomic clocks, Rubidium, Hydrogen maser, Nuclear clock
