Can you cool an object to absolute zero?

Nothing can be cooled to a temperature of exactly absolute zero. The temperature of an object is a measure of the average random motion energy (kinetic energy) of its atoms. This temperature is denoted by the number zero on absolute temperature scales such as Kelvin.

What is atomic clock and how does it work?

In an atomic clock, the frequency of the quartz oscillator is transformed into a frequency that is applied to a collection of atoms. If the derived frequency is correct, it will cause many electrons in the atoms to change energy levels. If the frequency is incorrect, far fewer electrons will jump.

How does a cesium fountain clock work?

NIST-F1 is referred to as a fountain clock because it uses a fountain-like movement of atoms to obtain its improved reckoning of time. The lasers gently push the cesium atoms together into a ball. In the process of creating this ball, the lasers slow down the movement of the atoms and cool them to near absolute zero.

Why is absolute zero difficult?

There’s a catch, though: absolute zero is impossible to reach. The reason has to do with the amount of work necessary to remove heat from a substance, which increases substantially the colder you try to go. To reach zero kelvins, you would require an infinite amount of work.

What is the Navy master clock?

The USNO Master Clock is the underlying product for all of our precise time and time interval products. The timing reference produced by this timing ensemble is called UTC(USNO). This timing reference is mandated to be the precise time reference for all of the DoD.

How does the NIST atomic clock work?

The apparatus consists of an optical molasses made of counter-propagating lasers which cool and trap a gas of cesium atoms. Once trapped, the atoms are propelled upward by two vertical lasers inside a microwave chamber. Depending on the exact frequency of the microwaves, the cesium atoms will reach an excited state.

What is cesium atomic clock?

The cesium clock is the most accurate type of clock yet developed. This device makes use of transitions between the spin states of the cesium nucleus and produces a frequency which is so regular that it has been adopted for establishing the time…

Can an atomic clock be cooled to absolute zero?

Ideally, we’d like an atomic clock to be cooled to as near to absolute zero as possible. Simply sticking the atoms into a super-powerful refrigerator won’t work, however. The gas containing the atoms would condense on the walls of the refrigerating container, and for atomic clocks, that’s no good.

How accurate are clocks that use atoms?

Clocks that use atoms are accurate to one second in 300 million years. But they are not easy to maintain. To function, the atoms need to be kept at an incredibly low temperature, as near to absolute zero as possible.

Would an atomic clock work in a refrigerator?

Simply sticking the atoms into a super-powerful refrigerator won’t work, however. The gas containing the atoms would condense on the walls of the refrigerating container, and for atomic clocks, that’s no good. What’s needed is a way of cooling the atoms without anything touching them.

How does a cesium clock work?

Traditional cesium clocks measure room-temperature atoms moving at several hundred meters per second. Since the atoms are moving so fast, the observation time is limited to a few milliseconds.