atomic clock

American  

noun

1. an extremely accurate electronic clock regulated by the resonance frequency of atoms or molecules of certain substances, as cesium.

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atomic clock British  

noun

1. an extremely accurate clock in which an electrical oscillator is controlled by the natural vibrations of an atomic or molecular system such as caesium or ammonia

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atomic clock Scientific  

1. An extremely precise clock whose rate is controlled by a periodic process (such as vibration, or the absorption or emission of electromagnetic radiation) that occurs at a steady rate in atoms or molecules. The standard atomic clock is based on the vibrations of cesium atoms and is so accurate that it would gain or lose less than one second in three million years. Atomic clocks are used to help track satellites, run navigation systems, and study movements of the Earth's crust.

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atomic clock Cultural  

1. The most accurate clock available. Time is measured by the movement of electrons in cesium atoms. The standard second is now defined by measurements on an atomic clock.

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Etymology

Origin of atomic clock

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Time on Earth is precisely tracked by atomic clocks, but synchronizing time on the moon is tricky because clocks run faster there, gaining around 56 microseconds, or millionths of a second, per day.

From New York Times

While the space station doesn’t have its own time zone, it runs on Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC, which is meticulously based on atomic clocks.

From Seattle Times

The alternative would be to use the synthesized output of the lunar atomic clocks as the Moon’s own independent, continuous time, and to track its relationship to UTC.

From Scientific American

Jerrold Zacharias was a prominent nuclear physicist, a science advisor to President Eisenhower, and he developed the first atomic clock.

From Scientific American

One of the experiments will be an extremely cold atomic clock.

From New York Times