Vignette 47: World's most precise clock

Timing precision is critical in many sensing, communication, and computational tasks. Two decades of pioneering research by the University’s Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing team has resulted in the development of the cryogenic sapphire oscillator. Known as The Sapphire Clock it is said to be the world’s most precise clock. 

This clock keeps time with an accuracy of one second in 40 million years and is 1,000 times more precise than any commercial system. It has various applications in radar technology, quantum computing, and defence systems. Its precision has strategic use in the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN), which is vital for Australia’s defence surveillance.

The Sapphire Clock has contributed to a scientific legacy with far-reaching applications in defence, radar, space navigation, ultra-precise laboratory reference and quantum computing.

The University of Adelaide: 150 Years of Making History.  Nurturing excellence. p.70