October 6, 2004
Atomic clock to sync handhelds
This is way over my head, but according to The Latest Technology Research News, atomic clocks could power cell phones.
"Atomic clocks keep extremely accurate time by measuring the vibration of atoms. They have been around for 50-odd years, but they aren't in widespread commercial use because they tend to be large and draw a lot of power.
Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised the principal component of an extremely tiny atomic clock that will draw very little power.
The chip-scale atomic clock consumes 73 thousandths of a watt, which is comparable to common quartz crystal oscillators. The device is the key step toward integrating battery-operated atomic clocks into handheld devices like Global Positioning System (GPS) systems, radios and cellphones.
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