December 01, 2021
A team of researchers from the University of Colorado, USA, has found a way to use an atomic clock to demonstrate the principle of general relativity. According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, clocks tick faster away from the Earth, which also means that clocks at different heights tick at different rates.
In this study, the researchers proved the theory to be true by measuring the ticks of a tiny atomic clock made up of 1,00,000 strontium atoms. All its parts were super-chilled and arranged one above the other just a single millimetre apart but in several rungs. Researchers measured the rate of wiggling of light waves and compared it. The result showed a shift in frequency of approximately one-100th of a quadrillion per cent over a distance of a single millimetre. The experiment was repeated multiple times for at least 90 hours to compare the differences in the ticks.
Did You Know?
Atomic clocks, also called primary clocks, are currently the most exact clocks in the world.
