{
  "id": 19837330,
  "title": "Researchers build the first ever quantum clock that uses sunlight",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/researchers-build-the-first-ever-quantum-clock-that-uses-sunlight",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-13T17:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Scientist",
    "slug": "new-scientist",
    "url": "https://www.newscientist.com/article/2598583-researchers-built-the-first-ever-quantum-clock-that-uses-sunlight/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers have successfully created the world's first quantum clock that utilizes sunlight as a key component. This groundbreaking development could allow scientists to monitor changes in the sun's motion and probe processes on its surface. While the concept of using sunlight for timekeeping is not new, contemporary optical clocks typically rely on isolated atoms at their core to achieve their high levels of accuracy. However, a team led by Scott Diddams at the University of Colorado, Boulder, has developed an optical clock that harnesses sunlight instead.\n\nIn traditional optical clocks, an electron within an atom oscillates between two energy levels, and an ultra-stable laser is tuned to match the frequency of these oscillations. The resulting light waves are then converted into precise ticks of a clock using a frequency comb, which transforms visible light into microwaves that can be processed by standard electronics. In this latest experiment, the researchers still utilized a laser and a frequency comb to build their clock, but the role of the atom was assumed by a process happening near the sun.\n\nSpecifically, the researchers replaced the atom with sunlight causing electron jumps in iron atoms within the sun's atmosphere. This process leaves a distinct signature in the sunlight's spectrum, allowing the team to collect solar light through a special fiber and feed it into the clock's mechanism. Although the new solar optical clock does not match the precision of the best atomic optical clocks, the researchers demonstrated that it could potentially serve as a tool for studying stars. During the 2024 partial solar eclipse, they observed a change in the sunlight's spectrum due to the moon passing in front of the star. If the clock were fed light from a distant star in place of sunlight, similar shifts could indicate the existence of orbiting exoplanets, opening up the possibility of using this new clock design for astronomical discoveries. However, in this case, the starlight would need to be collected using large telescopes, sometimes over extended periods of time.\n\nExperts have noted the significance of this work, highlighting that it demonstrates an optical clock design that leverages light from stars rather than being entirely based on controlled laboratory objects. While the new clock does not yet surpass existing methods for studying starlight, it may offer advantages when investigating our sun, such as probing eruptive events, sunspots, and solar wind made up of charged particles in the sun's outer layers.",
  "summary": "Quantum clocks usually rely on advanced lasers and isolated atoms in the lab, but a new experiment showed that the same clock design can work with sunlight instead",
  "key_points": [
    "Researchers create world's first quantum clock using sunlight",
    "Clock harnesses electron jumps in iron atoms within the sun's atmosphere",
    "Potential tool for studying stars and detecting exoplanets"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}