Scientists to redefine the second using laser optics

The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) has met in Versailles to approve a historic revision of the second, the smallest unit of time.

Since 1967, the second has been defined by the microwave atomic clock as 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the cesium-133 atom. However, new advancements in laser optics allow for optical atomic clocks that can calculate the second approximately 100 times more accurately than previous microwave-based methods.

This increased precision is expected to benefit fields such as satellite navigation and telecommunications. To allow the computing industry sufficient time to adjust to the change, the redefinition is not expected to take effect until 2030.