Overview

• The clock outperforms previous standards with a 41% boost in accuracy and achieves 2.6× greater stability than any other ion clock.
• Quantum logic spectroscopy pairs the challenging aluminum ion with a controllable magnesium ion to enable cooling and precise state readouts.
• A redesigned ion trap featuring a thick diamond substrate and enhanced gold electrode coatings suppresses excess micromotion that had limited performance.
• A titanium vacuum chamber cuts background hydrogen levels by 150×, allowing uninterrupted runs over several days without ion reloads.
• An ultrastable laser from JILA sent over a 3.6 km fiber link extends ion probing to one second, slashing measurement duration to 1.5 days.