Nuclear clocks could eventually improve navigation, network synchronization and scientific measurements by using a thorium-229 nuclear transition as a frequency reference. Researchers have directly excited and measured that transition, but a laboratory spectroscopy result is not a finished clock—and nuclear clocks are not established as part of GPS or telecommunications infrastructure.
What is a nuclear clock?
An atomic clock keeps time by measuring a precise frequency associated with transitions between energy levels. Conventional atomic clocks use transitions in an atom’s electron shell; a nuclear clock would use a transition within the nucleus. NIST explains that a nucleus is less exposed to external disturbances than the electron shell, which could make a nuclear transition a particularly stable reference. NIST’s overview of the 2024 demonstration and its introduction to nuclear clocks describe the underlying idea.
Why thorium-229?
Most nuclear transitions require very high-energy radiation. Thorium-229 is unusual: its low-energy transition can be reached with ultraviolet or vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) light. That makes it possible to investigate as a clock reference using laser spectroscopy. A proposed setup uses a finely controlled laser to drive thorium-229 nuclei between the ground state and a low-lying isomeric state; a frequency comb helps connect and count the optical-frequency cycles.
What have researchers demonstrated?
In 2024, a JILA-led team used a VUV frequency comb to excite thorium-229 in a solid calcium-fluoride host, determine the transition’s absolute frequency and link the measurement to a strontium-87 optical clock. The result, reported in Nature, established direct spectroscopy and a frequency comparison—not a complete clock ready for routine use.
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NIST made that distinction explicit: “While this laboratory demonstration is not a fully developed nuclear clock, it contains all the key technology for one.” The experiment was a major step toward a clock, while practical performance and implementation remain active work. A 2026 Nature study of frequency reproducibility in solid-state thorium-229 clocks addresses one such requirement: whether the reference can reproduce its frequency reliably.
How could nuclear clocks affect GPS and navigation?
Satellite positioning depends on precise timing: receivers use signals from satellites to determine how long they took to arrive, then calculate position. Atomic clocks already provide the timing infrastructure used by GPS and other navigation systems. If a nuclear clock can deliver useful stability in a deployable device, it could eventually improve timing references and, in turn, navigation performance.
That is a prospective benefit, not a current GPS feature. The available demonstrations do not establish that nuclear clocks are installed in satellites, receivers or other navigation equipment, nor do they provide a measured improvement to position accuracy. NIST’s history of atomic time gives context for existing atomic-clock use in navigation and the longer path from clock research to practical systems.
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- Atomic Accuracy: The Atomic clock has a built-in receiver that automatically synchronizes itself with the WWVB radio broadcast by the US Government’s National Institute (NIST) in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Atomic Clock will always be accurate to within one second as it receives daily WWVB updates.
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Could they improve telecommunications and network timing?
Telecommunications and digital networks rely on synchronized clocks to coordinate data transfer and connected systems. More stable references could support tighter synchronization and, potentially, more reliable networks. NIST describes faster internet and more reliable networks as possible future effects of improved clocks, not as benefits already delivered by nuclear-clock equipment.
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No reviewed source establishes commercial nuclear clocks for telecom networks or a deployment schedule. The useful distinction is between a promising frequency reference under laboratory study and equipment that has been engineered, tested and adopted for network operations.
What could nuclear clocks contribute to science?
Clock comparisons are also measurement tools. Because a nuclear transition responds to forces and environmental influences differently from an electronic transition, comparing it with an atomic clock can help researchers test fundamental physics and study nuclear properties. The 2024 thorium-229 work demonstrated a frequency measurement and comparison; it does not, by itself, establish a particular future discovery or a guaranteed gain in measurement precision.
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For scientists, the potential value is therefore broader than keeping time: a sufficiently stable, well-characterized nuclear reference could open new ways to compare frequencies and investigate whether physical constants or interactions behave as expected. Those possibilities depend on improving the clock’s reproducibility and understanding its sensitivity to its environment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Are nuclear clocks more accurate than atomic clocks?
There is not yet a sound, general answer that nuclear clocks are more accurate. Accuracy and stability are measured properties of a particular clock, under specified conditions. The 2024 result established spectroscopy and a frequency ratio to a strontium clock; the 2026 reproducibility study examines another performance requirement. Neither result justifies a blanket claim that a completed nuclear clock already outperforms atomic clocks in operational use.
A fair comparison needs to specify the demonstrated accuracy and stability, sensitivity to environmental disturbances, laser and apparatus requirements, whether the system is laboratory-bound or deployable, and the scientific measurements its transition enables. The nuclear transition’s relative shielding is promising, but realizing that advantage in a practical instrument is a separate engineering and measurement challenge.
Rank #4
- Atomic Accuracy: The Atomic clock has a built-in receiver that automatically synchronizes itself with the WWVB radio broadcast by the US Government’s National Institute (NIST) in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Atomic Clock will always be accurate to within one second as it receives daily WWVB updates.
- Wireless Outdoor Sensor: The Wireless outdoor sensor (included) transmits the outdoor temperature to the Atomic Wall Clock. The sensor can be placed anywhere within 100ft of the receiving unit. The wireless technology means no wire installation is necessary. Note: The wireless sensor is included in the box, separate from the clock.
- Jumbo 3” Tall LCD Time Display - Easy to Read, Easy to Use, Easy to Set up - Use as either a wall clock, or as a desk clock with integrated stand. Perfect for anyplace in your home or office.
- Displays indoor and outdoor temperature - Displays calendar and day of week
- Battery powered: Main unit 3 x AA batteries - Sensor 2 x AAA batteries (not included)
When might nuclear clocks be used outside the lab?
The reviewed sources do not establish a reliable deployment date for GPS, telecommunications or consumer devices. A direct transition measurement and clock-component demonstration are important milestones, but field use also requires dependable performance and practical implementation. Until those steps are demonstrated, nuclear clocks should be described as a developing research technology rather than an available timing product.
Further reading for specialists
For readers seeking technical depth, Springer Nature lists Chuankun Zhang’s 2026 specialist title, Thorium-229 Nuclear Clock Using a VUV Frequency Comb. The hardcover ISBN is 978-3-032-33431-2. It is further reading on the research, not equipment needed to understand or use a nuclear clock. Springer Nature’s catalog page lists the title and formats.
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