Chinese scientists have developed the world's first fluoroborate crystal applicable to thorium nuclear clocks.

Foreign Media: Chinese scientists have developed the world's first fluoroborate crystal applicable to thorium nuclear clocks, capable of compressing laser wavelengths down to 145.2 nanometers, breaking the previous limit of about 150 nanometers set by China's potassium beryllium fluoroborate crystal developed in the 1990s, and for the first time meeting the required threshold of 148.3 nanometers for nuclear clocks.

Nuclear clocks use atomic nuclear vibrations for timekeeping, offering far greater precision than traditional atomic clocks and exhibiting extremely strong resistance to interference, with future applications expected in GPS-denied environments such as deep-sea submarine navigation and deep-space exploration.

This breakthrough was published in the journal Advanced Materials, paving the way toward practical implementation of the thorium-229 nuclear clock.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862272180671514/

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