Two Teams Build First Nuclear Clocks, Accurate to 1 Second in 30 Million Years

3 articles · Updated · ABC News · Oct 7

Two independent teams built the first working nuclear clocks by using lasers to trigger ticks in thorium-229 nuclei embedded in crystals, a milestone reported in Nature.
1 second in 30 million years is their current accuracy; that still does not beat the best atomic clocks, but researchers say the smaller, more stable nucleus should allow faster gains.
2024 laser experiments that first drove a controlled change in an atomic nucleus unlocked the approach after more than two decades of theoretical promise and technical obstacles.
Thorium-based clocks could sharpen GPS and portable timing systems, map underground structures through gravity measurements, aid earthquake research, and probe dark matter and other fundamental physics.

Sources

ABC News7h ago

Scientists Build First Nuclear Clocks, Aiming for World's Most Accurate Timekeepers

The New York Times7h ago

Vienna and Beijing Teams Build First Thorium Nuclear Clocks

South China Morning Post1m ago

China's thorium-229 nuclear clock beats Vienna's on stability, studies show | South China Morning Post

9 Sources

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The First Operational Thorium-229 Nuclear Clocks (2026): Physics, Applications, and the Race for Ultimate Precision

Overview

In October 2026, scientists at TU Wien and Tsinghua University announced the first operational thorium-229 nuclear clocks, marking a major breakthrough in timekeeping. These clocks use the thorium-229 nucleus, which has a uniquely low-energy state, allowing precise control with vacuum ultraviolet lasers. Because the atomic nucleus is about 100,000 times smaller than the electron shell and highly isolated from environmental disturbances, nuclear clocks promise unprecedented stability. Their sensitivity to changes in fundamental constants makes them powerful tools for probing dark matter. However, the technology faces challenges, including the extreme scarcity of thorium-229 and technical hurdles in crystal engineering and laser operation.

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