Tech Shimadzu develops first commercial optical lattice clock

[thomas]

With this clock, you'll never be late again—in all eternity if you have half a billion yen at your disposal.

Japanese precision equipment manufacturer Shimadzu Corp. announced Wednesday that it has started selling an optical lattice clock with an accuracy deviation of less than one second over 10 billion years, making it the most precise timepiece available. The clock is 114 centimetres wide, 109.3 centimetres high, and 65 centimetres deep. The Kyoto -based company aims to sell 10 units over the next three years, with a suggested retail price of 500 million yen ($3.3 million) per unit.

The company started taking orders for the high-precision clock in November 2024 after developing a transportable model in collaboration with researchers from institutions including the University of Tokyo. Its miniaturisation allows the product to be used outdoors, and it could find practical applications in areas such as monitoring movements of the Earth's crust related to plate tectonics, volcanic activity and other phenomena, Shimadzu said. Invented in 2001 by Hidetoshi Katori, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Engineering, an optical lattice clock has a timekeeping uncertainty hundreds of times smaller than caesium atomic clocks that currently define the second. The firm said that an optical lattice clock is a candidate for redefining the second, a process scheduled for 2030 by an international organisation.

Japan's Shimadzu launches world's 1st commercial optical lattice clock

Japanese precision equipment maker Shimadzu Corp. says that it has begun selling an optical lattice clock with a deviation of less than one second over 10 billion years, making it the most accurate on the market.

english.kyodonews.net

Successful Development of the World’s First Compact and Robust High-Precision Optical Lattice Clock with a 250-liter Volume — Toward Real-World Applications of Optical Lattice Clocks —

Successful Development of the World’s First Compact and Robust High-Precision Optical Lattice Clock with a 250-liter Volume — Toward Real-World Applications of Optical Lattice Clocks —

www.shimadzu.com

Link:

Shimadzu Corporation

Manufacturer of precision instruments, measuring instruments and medical equipment based in Kyoto.

• JREF
• 5 Mar 2025
• Views: 458
• Category: Manufacturing

 

[thomas]

Here's a short video:

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The technology relies on a standing wave of laser light to create an optical lattice, where atoms such as strontium or ytterbium are confined. A separate laser then measures the oscillations of these atoms, which serve as the clock's timekeeping mechanism. Unlike traditional atomic clocks that use microwave frequencies, optical lattice clocks operate at optical frequencies, allowing for far greater precision.

Shimadzu Unveils World's First Optical Lattice Clock

Shimadzu Corporation has launched the world's first optical lattice clock, which measures time using the oscillation frequency of atoms trapped by lasers. The clock boasts an unparalleled accuracy, with an error of just one second over 10 billion years.

newsonjapan.com

 

[mdchachi]

If the power goes out it will lose the time and be less precise than a wind-up Rolex.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

If the power goes out it will lose the time and be less precise than a wind-up Rolex.

That what UPS are for. (Uninterruptible Power Supply--basically a battery backup). There are also backup generators that can be employed. Nothing is fool-proof, but people are well aware of the concern of power interruptions and have come up with several solutions.

 

[mdchachi]

That what UPS are for. (Uninterruptible Power Supply--basically a battery backup). There are also backup generators that can be employed. Nothing is fool-proof, but people are well aware of the concern of power interruptions and have come up with several solutions.

Also it's less portable than a Rolex. I don't think I'll be getting one.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

HUMMMM?? Wonder if they could downsize it into an artificial heart replacement?