GoKawiilNUS physicists build lutetium atomic clock accurate to 260 billion years
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have built an optical atomic clock using lutetium ions that is four times more precise than the previous record-holder, a calcium-ion clock. The device would lose less than a second over roughly 260 billion years, making it the most accurate timekeeper reported to date, according to a study published in Nature on September 23.
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Such extreme precision could sharpen tools used in satellite navigation, dark matter searches, and mapping subtle variations in Earth's gravitational field, and may eventually feed into redefining the scientific standard for the second. Team leader Murray Barrett says the clock's robustness raises hope it could be miniaturized and used outside the lab, though that remains a future goal rather than a demonstrated result.
- The lutetium optical clock is four times more accurate than the prior best calcium-ion clock.
- It would take about 260 billion years for the clock to lose a second.
- Researchers hope to miniaturize the device for use beyond laboratory settings, according to the team leader.
Source: nature.com — Gibney, 2026-09-23
Published there as: “Best clock ever: timekeeper based on lutetium atoms wows researchers”
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