The accuracy of the best atomic clocks is now approaching 1 part in 10¹⁹, or less than a second error over the age of the universe. In addition to allowing you to pinpoint your location slightly better in google maps, improved frequency standards also have applications in high resolution imaging, communications, radar, and tests of physical constants. In this seminar I will review how atomic clocks are being used in today’s technology, and discuss the limits to their precision.

Ultimately, measurements of an atomic transition (the basis behind atomic clocks) are limited by the Heisenberg time/energy uncertainty relation. In this seminar I will discuss ongoing work to go beyond this limitation and the subsequent implications for measuring frequency better than state-of-the-art atomic clocks.

Liam McGuinness works on quantum spectroscopy with single spins. He is an ARC Future Fellow in the Laser Physics Center, and part-time block-builder/train conductor at home office with his 2-year-old son

Zoom Event - https://anu.zoom.us/j/94111701666