How Do Atomic Watches Work?
It’s not really atomic Atomic watches sound like the ultimate 21st century fashion accessory, something George Jetson might wear. But really, the watch itself is just a regular watch that stays in radio contact with an atomic clock. It has no atomic parts and is not radioactive. How does an atomic clock work? Mechanical clocks measure seconds by the turning to spring-driven gears. Water clocks measure seconds by drips of water. Sundials measure time by the movement of a shadow. Atomic clocks measure time by the resonance frequency of an atom. As of 2009, this is usually atoms of cesium 133. How do we measure the resonance of a cesium atom? In an atomic clock, a microwave oscillator bombards heated cesium atoms with a radio waves frequencies. If an atom is hit by a radio wave of the exact right frequency, the electrons in that atom will change energy state. A detection device counts how many atoms have changed state, thus ensuring that the microwave stays at a precise frequency. That fr
