The world's most accurate clock, known as the "Aether clock OC 020," went on sale for $3.3 million in Japan on Wednesday.
Manufactured by Kyoto-based Shimadzu Corp, the clock’s precision is so remarkable that it would take 10 billion years for it to deviate by a single second.
Referred to as a "strontium optical lattice clock," the device is 100 times more accurate than the current standard for defining seconds, the caesium atomic clock. Shimadzu Corp, a precision-equipment producer, stated that the Aether clock’s unparalleled accuracy makes it a valuable tool for advanced scientific applications.
Standing at around one metre in height and with a volume of approximately 250 litres, the machine is compact for its kind. Despite its relatively small size, it is capable of being used in fieldwork research.
Shimadzu Corp has set an ambitious goal to sell 10 of these high-precision clocks over the next three years. The company hopes that the clocks will play a significant role in advancing scientific research, particularly in areas such as the observation of tectonic activity.
Previously, optical lattice clocks like this one have been used in Japan’s famous Skytree to test Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. According to the theory, "time flows more slowly in places with strong gravity."
