caesium clock


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caesium clock

n
(General Physics) a type of atomic clock that uses the frequency of radiation absorbed in changing the spin of electrons in caesium atoms. See also second2
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
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Noun1.caesium clock - an atomic clock based on the energy difference between two states of the caesium nucleus in a magnetic field
atomic clock - a timepiece that derives its time scale from the vibration of atoms or molecules
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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Although different elements have since been used in other clocks, the caesium clock has remained the standard of time and frequency.
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In 1966 a caesium clock was installed as the primary standard.
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This precise remote-controlled watch adjusts automatically to mimic the radio signal from the caesium clock at the Physical Technical Federal Institute in Germany.
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Since 1983 we have referred length to a combination of velocity and time, time already being defined, as stated above, in terms of the caesium atom, and the velocity of light now being defined as exactly 299,792,458 metres per second, so that today we say that one metre is exactly 1/299,792,458 of the distance that light travels in 9,192,631,770 ticks of our caesium clock (if that clock is keeping good time ...).
The universe: a put-up job?

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