How Does a Chip Scale Atomic Clock Work?

An automatic clock is an integral part to any electronics system. In fact, they are an important part of the equation for many different electronic and scientific endeavors. To better understand what a chip scale atomic clock is (also known as CSAC) we’ll start by describing different types of clocks and how they function.

A regular clock is used to keep track of time by counting a resonator’s “ticks”. For example, in a pendulum clock, the pendulum acts as the resonator, swinging once each second, and the gears of the clock count each swing to get an accurate measure of the passage of time.

A digital clock is more advanced, and instead of counting pendulum swings, it uses oscillations caused by power lines, or in some cases, a quartz crystal as the resonator.

An automatic clock is a clock that is radio-controlled, and synchronized via a radio transmitter to an atomic clock at a distant location. Some use a single transmitter, or they can use many, such as a GPS, or Global Positioning System.

An atomic clock is able to use the resonance frequencies of atoms for its resonator source. The main benefit to this is that the atoms resonate at a very consistent frequency, so it ends up being much more accurate than any other type of clock. The precision of the atomic clock is what makes many technological feats today possible. They keep the Internet working smoothly, and are essential to GPS functions. The marvel of the chip scale atomic clock is that the chip inside that powers it can do so with such efficiency that the clock can be smaller than ever, weighing only 35 grams, and use significantly less power. This means they will last much longer than any other type of clock before, which is crucial in many situations such as military drones that lose their GPS signal or get jammed. The CSAC allows communications to be synchronized quickly in emergency situations.

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