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Chronometry

Effect of the 1999 solar eclipse on atomic clocks

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Abstract

Solar eclipses have been reported to have a strange influence on the behaviour of atomic clocks1 and pendulums2,3, which has been attributed to some unknown feature of gravity4. Here we correct this idea after being unable to detect any anomalous changes in the relative rates of three types of atomic clock, based on the ground-state hyperfine transitions of hydrogen, rubidium and caesium, during the solar eclipse of 11 August 1999 over central Europe.

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Figure 1: Time differences in four atomic clocks during the solar eclipse.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Hans-Kopfermann-Strasse 1, Garching, 85748, Germany

    Thomas Udem, Jörg Reichert, Ronald Holzwarth & Theodor Hänsch

  2. Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V., Münchner Strasse 20, Wessling, 82230, Germany

    Rainer Krämer, Jörg Hahn & Jens Hammesfahr

Authors
  1. Thomas Udem
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  2. Jörg Reichert
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  3. Ronald Holzwarth
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  4. Theodor Hänsch
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  5. Rainer Krämer
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  6. Jörg Hahn
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  7. Jens Hammesfahr
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Udem, T., Reichert, J., Holzwarth, R. et al. Effect of the 1999 solar eclipse on atomic clocks. Nature 402, 749–750 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/45442

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