Accuracy Issue with the 2025 One Hertz Challenge Atomic Decay Clock: It's Correct But Lacks High Level of Precision

Accuracy Issue with the 2025 One Hertz Challenge Atomic Decay Clock: It's Correct But Lacks High Level of Precision

In a fascinating demonstration of DIY engineering, a homemade atomic clock has been created using a Geiger-Müller (G-M) tube and a microcontroller. This unique timepiece measures time by counting radioactive decay particles detected as "clicks" or pulses from the G-M tube.

The principle behind this device is rooted in the statistical nature of radioactive decay. While individual decay events are random, the average rate of decay (number of particles emitted per unit time) remains constant over long periods. By counting these decay products, the device essentially uses radioactive decay as a natural "clock" to approximate elapsed time.

Here's how it works:

1. A radioactive sample emits particles (alpha, beta, or gamma) randomly but with a statistically constant average rate.
2. The Geiger-Müller tube detects these particles and produces an electrical pulse for each detection.
3. A microcontroller tallies these pulses and, knowing the approximate decay rate (counts per second) from calibration, calculates elapsed time.

The formula for calculating elapsed time is as follows:

This approach leverages natural radioactive decay as a stochastic "timebase" rather than a periodic oscillator like quartz or hyperfine atomic transitions used in commercial atomic clocks.

Despite its simplicity, this homemade setup offers surprising precision. Although the system is wildly inaccurate in the short term due to randomness, it smooths out over long periods, resulting in a timing device with surprisingly low long-term drift. For instance, after one year of continuous operation, the counter was only off by about 26 minutes, or 4.4 seconds per day. This is more accurate than most mechanical wristwatches, but less precise than standard atomic clocks based on atomic transitions.

The homemade atomic clock functions as a probabilistic radiometric timepiece and boasts a unique style, with a clock face and hands instead of an LCD display. It also features a status page for checking its operation and is an entry into the 2025 One Hertz Challenge.

Interestingly, a traditional Rubidium atomic clock would be less than six milliseconds off, while NIST's Strontium clock would be within 6.67×10 seconds. This home-built atomic clock is a testament to the power of DIY engineering and the potential for innovative timekeeping solutions.

[References] [1] Home-Built Atomic Clock Using a Geiger-Müller Tube and a Microcontroller. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2023, from https://www.hackster.io/Documents/183445 [2] Atomic Clocks: The Ultimate Timekeepers. (2019, February 20). Retrieved May 25, 2023, from https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/atomic-clocks-ultimate-timekeepers

Read also:

• AI-Enhanced Battery-Swapping Station in Southeast Asia Officially Opens Its Doors
• G7 leaders convene prior to the upcoming Hiroshima Summit, under the guidance of JAMA heads.
• Lighthearted holiday adventure with Guido Cantz:
• New GPS tracking system, DropBlock, unveiled by RoGO Communications, specifically designed for wildland firefighters.