The Aether clock OC 020, recently launched onto the market, represents a significant breakthrough in timekeeping technology. It provides industry-leading precision and durability in the face of environmental adversity. Shimadzu and Program-Specific Associate Professor Hidetoshi Katori of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Engineering worked together to create this compact optical lattice clock. It has phenomenal accuracy, with a deviation of one second over an incredible 10 billion years! Shimadzu has announced a sticker price of this innovative clock at 500 million yen, which is about US $3.4 million. The firm expects to sell these ten units in the first three years.
The Aether clock OC 020 is about the volume of two half-size refrigerators and weighs around 200 kilograms. This design, small enough to fit in a briefcase, marks a huge step forward from the original optical lattice clock. While that clock was remarkable for its accuracy, it lacked in portability. This clock uses optical lattice technology, giving it an incredible accuracy that beats cesium atomic clocks by a factor of 100 or more. Consequently, it has emerged as the gold standard in the world of timekeeping.
The brown laser illuminated blackbody radiation shield on Aether clock OC 020. This highly optimized design guarantees extremely low blackbody shift uncertainty, with very low values of 10^-18, within reach. This provision is vital for ensuring the clock remains stopped. In addition, it guards against temperature fluctuations and other ambient conditions that would otherwise impair its timing precision. Katori went into detail about this aspect of the clock’s design.
“By interrogating thousands of neutral atoms trapped in an optical lattice at the so-called ‘magic wavelength,’ which cancels the light shift perturbations of the optical lattice, the optical lattice clock allows reaching 10-18 accuracy,” – Hidetoshi Katori.
Industry experts who are leading the charge in the world of timekeeping are excited about what this means for the future. Jun Ye, another optical atomic clock researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. He commended the Aether clock OC 020, ranking it among “great engineering achievements.” In his remarks, Kwiat pointed out that commercial availability of optical lattice clocks marks a new age in precision timekeeping.
“The clock has been designed to be immune to environmental conditions. For example, the clock includes a blackbody radiation shield to guarantee a blackbody shift uncertainty at 10-18 levels. The ‘flicker floor’ of the clock should be better than 10-17,” – Hidetoshi Katori.
The possible uses for this kind of ultra-accurate timekeeping are unlimited. Improving earthquake prediction Naohiro Nishimoto hopes these clocks can help perfect earthquake prediction. They have the power to advance cutting-edge scientific research. Solar timekeeping in the atomic age The Aether clock OC 020 might have an important role to play in redefining the second for the 21st century. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures is scheduled to formally adopt these updates by 2030.
“This is a very exciting development, now that optical lattice clocks are commercially available,” – Jun Ye.
As Shimadzu moves forward to spread awareness of this ground-breaking technology, they’re equally passionate about raising awareness and valuing precision across multiple sectors. The Aether clock OC 020 is an awe-inspiring testament to human creativity. It nonetheless marks an incredible advance in our quest for perfect timekeeping.
As Shimadzu continues to promote this cutting-edge technology, it also highlights the importance of precision in various sectors. The Aether clock OC 020 stands as a testament to human ingenuity and technological advancement in our quest for accurate timekeeping.