How does an atomic clock work? How does it start telling extremely precise time?

Question

How does an atomic clock work? How does it start telling extremely precise time?

In: Technology

Answer 1

OP – you are not asking about the “atomic clocks” that sit on a desktop or a nightstand, are you? If you are, those DO NOT have a cesium atom vibrating inside.

Those clocks actually have radio receivers that listen for data transmission by NIST (in the U.S.). Those radio transmissions are linked to the NIST atomic clocks which DO have a cesium atom vibrating inside.

Side note – I have 3 different desktop “atomic clocks”, no two of which display the same time, and none of which displays the correct time. Admittedly, they are all quite old – 15-20 years.