Nuclear clocks with high precision may appear in Russia in 2030–2032. They will open new horizons for humanity to scientifically study previously inaccessible areas, Sergey Donchenko, General Director of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Physical-Technical and Radio-Technical Measurements (VNIIFTRI), said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Realistically, we can expect that not just a prototype, but an experimental sample, if we are optimistic, will appear somewhere around 2030–2032. I wouldn't want to be a pessimist.
According to him, scientists are currently developing a prototype of the clock and studying possible directions in which such a clock could be created.
The potential accuracy of nuclear clocks can reach 20–21 digits after the decimal point. German scientists from PTB (Federal Physical-Technical Institute) have found a way to create them. This discovery inspired leading countries to develop their own versions of these clocks. Their creation requires unique technologies and materials. For example, lasers with a special range of wavelengths and rare, ultra-pure materials are required, which are currently only available in Russia.
Nuclear clocks will allow many things to be solved. Not only for the country's economy, but also for fundamental issues. All calculations show that if you have such stable clocks, you can conduct research in the field of confirming dark matter. That is, we are completely moving into a new order of understanding the Universe and life in general. Therefore, the appearance of such a precise instrument will allow us to create those areas in science that we do not yet fully understand.
Earlier, the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute created a quantum gravimeter — a device capable of measuring not only time, but also the level of Earth's gravity. The gravimeter records changes in the Earth's gravitational field with high accuracy — more than one millionth of a gal, which significantly exceeds the accuracy of pendulum and ballistic gravimeters, which operate with an accuracy of one ten-thousandth to one hundred-thousandth of a gal.
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