Named after radio pioneer Heinrich Hertz.
A similar model was used in the Hafele-Keating experiment to test special relativity on two planes flying in opposite directions. Miniaturization was key.
Contains a disposable tube with 6g of Caesium. You boil it, so when it runs out, you change the tube, 40k USD. Their tube is made by Agilent Technologies, so a replacement since that opened in 1999, and the original machine is from the 60s.
Detection is done with an electron multiplier.
youtu.be/eOti3kKWX-c?t=1166 They compare it with their 100 dollar GPS disciplined oscillator, since GPS satellites have atomic clocks in them.
Uses the frequency of the hyperfine structure of caesium-133 ground state, i.e spin up vs spin down of its valence electron , to define the second.
International System of Units definition of the second since 1967, because this is what atomic clocks use.
TODO why does this have more energy than the hyperfine split of the hydrogen line given that it is further from the nucleus?
Why caesium hyperfine structure is used:
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Time is a concept that allows us to understand the progression of events, the duration of occurrences, and the sequencing of moments. Philosophically and scientifically, it can be interpreted in various ways: 1. **Measurement of Change**: Time helps us track changes and movements in the universe. It enables the differentiation between past, present, and future. 2. **Physical Dimension**: In physics, time is often considered the fourth dimension, alongside the three spatial dimensions.