Science and Technology News

Nuclear Clock Breakthrough

October 13 , 2026 12 hrs 0 min 24 0

Scientists from Europe and China reported the world’s first working nuclear clocks.
Nuclear clocks use the nucleus of an atom to measure time, while atomic clocks use electrons.
The clocks use the thorium-229 isotope, whose nucleus can be excited using an ultraviolet laser.
Chinese teams embedded thorium-229 nuclei in calcium fluoride crystals to develop compact, portable clocks.
Austrian and German teams used a thorium-229 nuclear clock to search for dark matter but found no signal.
Nuclear clocks could eventually surpass atomic clocks in precision and help detect changes in fundamental forces.