the ytterbium clock ticks are stable to within less than two parts in 1 quintillion ( 1 followed by 18 zeros ) , roughly 10 times better than the previous best published results for other atomic clocks .
imagine , for example , a grandfather clock , whose pendulum swings back and forth denoting time .
in a wrist watch there is often a crystal with an electrically oscillating a pair of experimental atomic clocks based on ytterbium atoms at the national institute of standards and technology ( nist ) has set a new record for stability .
you 'd never need this level of precision for getting to work on time , but the clock could be used for scientific exploration and technological advancements in areas such as navigation systems , said study co - author andrew ludlow , researcher at the national institute of standards and technology in boulder , colorado .
go , clock by five fibers ( such as the yellow fiber in the lower center of the photo ) .
the clocks act like 21st - century pendulums or metronomes that could swing back and forth with perfect timing for a period comparable to the age of the universe .
stability can be thought of as how precisely the duration of each tick is more stable ytterbium lattice atomic clock .
and it is a major step in the evolution of next - generation atomic clocks under development worldwide , including
ytterbium atoms are generated in an oven ( large metal cylinder on the left ) and sent to a vacuum chamber in the center of the photo to be manipulated and probed by lasers .