Using atomic nuclei could allow scientists to read time more precisely than ever – what this research could mean for future clocks

Atomic clocks undergird modern timekeeping. A nuclear clock could be even more precise.

By: Eric R. Hudson, University of California, Los Angeles and Andrei Derevianko, University of Nevada, Reno, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: April 14, 2026

Words: 1,455

Last Updated: 3 months, 2 weeks ago

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By Eric R. Hudson, University of California, Los Angeles and Andrei Derevianko, University of Nevada, Reno

Most clocks, from wristwatches to the systems that run GPS and the internet, work by tracking regular, repeating motions.

To build a clock, you need something that ticks in a perfectly repeatable way. In a pendulum clock, that tick is the regular swinging of the pendulum: back and forth, back and forth, at nearly the same rate each …

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