Ultra precise 'quantum clock' in development at secret lab could revolutionise intelligence
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An incredibly precise timekeeping device that experts say could revolutionise British intelligence is being developed at a top secret lab in the UK. The Quantum Clock is expected to be rolled out in four years time and will help Royal Navy ships and Royal Air Force planes to navigate. It is also expected to 'enhance the accuracy of advanced weapons' like guided missiles, according to Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL).
Quantum clocks use quantum mechanics to keep time with unprecedented accuracy by measuring energy fluctuations within atoms. Their use in military operations would be groundbreaking. The British quantum clock will be 'the first device of its kind to be built in the UK', according the UK government in a statement, but will not be a world first.
The University of Colorado at Boulder developed a quantum clock with the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, back in 2010. The UK already has an atomic clock at the National Physical Laboratory in London, but this quantum clock will be the country's first.
DSTL chief executive Paul Hollinshead said: "This first trial of an advanced atomic clock represents a significant achievement in the UK's quantum technology capabilities The data gathered will not only shape future defence effort but is also a signal to industry and academia that we are serious about exploring quantum technologies for secure and resilient operational advantage.".
Technology expert Nick France told the Daily Mail: "A quantum clock is a type of atomic clock – essentially a super-accurate timekeeping device. Atomic clocks currently are incredibly accurate anyway, but a quantum clock has accuracy levels where only a single second is lost in billions of years of operation.
