Physicists Unveil the First Nuclear Clock in a Solid-State Crystal
Two independent teams have demonstrated a solid-state nuclear clock using thorium-229 doped into calcium fluoride crystals, showing clock operation and benchmarking against atomic clocks while stabilizing a feedback loop to make it a true clock. The work suggests compact clocks with enhanced resilience to environmental factors that could enable nuclear quantum sensing and precision tests of fundamental physics, including ultralight dark matter, though the technology remains in early stages and will improve with advances in lasers and crystal tech.