An atomic clock with $10^{-18}$ instability

TL;DR

This paper reports the development of two ultracold ytterbium optical lattice clocks achieving a record instability of 1.6×10⁻¹⁸ after 7 hours, advancing precision timekeeping for scientific and technological applications.

Contribution

The paper presents the first demonstration of optical lattice clocks reaching 10⁻¹⁸ instability with ultracold ytterbium atoms, surpassing previous benchmarks.

Findings

Achieved 1.6×10⁻¹⁸ instability after 7 hours

Demonstrated stability suitable for advanced geodesy and physics tests

Utilized spin-polarized ultracold ytterbium atoms

Abstract

Atomic clocks have been transformational in science and technology, leading to innovations such as global positioning, advanced communications, and tests of fundamental constant variation. Next-generation optical atomic clocks can extend the capability of these timekeepers, where researchers have long aspired toward measurement precision at 1 part in $\bm{10^{18}}$. This milestone will enable a second revolution of new timing applications such as relativistic geodesy, enhanced Earth- and space-based navigation and telescopy, and new tests on physics beyond the Standard Model. Here, we describe the development and operation of two optical lattice clocks, both utilizing spin-polarized, ultracold atomic ytterbium. A measurement comparing these systems demonstrates an unprecedented atomic clock instability of $\bm{1.6\times 10^{-18}}$ after only $\bm{7}$ hours of averaging.