Catenaa, Thursday, October 16, 2025-MIT researchers have developed a new technique that doubles the precision of optical atomic clocks, which could enhance everything from navigation systems to fundamental physics experiments.
By harnessing previously overlooked laser-induced effects on ytterbium atoms and applying quantum amplification, the team has reduced quantum noise, a key limitation in measuring atomic oscillations.
Optical atomic clocks, which track the rapid “ticks” of atoms at frequencies far higher than traditional cesium-based clocks, offer unprecedented timing accuracy.
The MIT team applied a method called global phase spectroscopy, exploiting laser interactions with entangled ytterbium atoms to extract precise frequency information.
This approach allows the laser to inherit the atoms’ oscillations, stabilizing the measurement over time and doubling the clock’s precision.
Lead researcher Vladan Vuletić explained that the advancement opens the door to portable optical atomic clocks, which could be deployed for diverse applications including dark matter detection, testing fundamental physics, and even earthquake prediction.
The team’s work builds on previous efforts using quantum entanglement and time-reversal techniques to amplify atomic signals and reduce measurement uncertainty.
The study, published in the journal Nature, highlights the broader implications for science and technology. Enhanced atomic clocks can improve GPS navigation, telecommunications synchronization, and precision measurements of fundamental constants.
By increasing stability and reducing noise, the MIT team has moved closer to creating highly precise, transportable optical clocks that can operate in real-world environments beyond specialized laboratory settings.
The research was supported by the US Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, DARPA, the Department of Energy, and the Quantum Systems Accelerator.
