In a recent CNN article, groundbreaking research led by JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye and his team was highlighted for its remarkable advancements in nuclear clock technology. The article emphasized how their work builds upon the pioneering efforts of scientists who embedded thorium-229 into crystals in 2023, allowing for enhanced signal tracking by suppressing noise from nuclear decay.
Dr. Shimon Kolkowitz, chair of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, praised the work in the article, calling it "a real tour de force" and noting its profound implications for the future of nuclear clocks. Nuclear clocks have the potential to surpass atomic clocks in both precision and portability, revolutionizing the way scientists study gravitational fields, space-time, and even the fundamental constants of physics.