The Measurement of Time: Time, Frequency and the Atomic Clock

✍ Scribed by Claude Audoin, Bernard Guinot; Stephen Lyle

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 349
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This volume is a comprehensive introduction to the physics of time and time measurement, from an historical perspective to the modern day. It discusses the stability and accuracy of atomic frequency standards, covering different types of oscillators and atomic clocks, and their uses. The precision of atomic clocks and the atomic time scale are considered in the context of fundamental physical research, with relation to general relativity and applications such as the Global Positioning System. The authors also discuss International Atomic Time and its relationship to Coordinated Universal Time and the time scales used in astronomy.

✦ Table of Contents

The Measurement of Time: Time, Frequency and the Atomic Clock
Contents
1 Introduction to the book
2 The principles of time measurement
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Time and reproducibility: the notion of duration
2.3 Time, evolution and time scales
2.4 The two modes of time measurement
3 Time measurement and theoretical models
3.1 The Newtonian model and absolute time
3.2 Special relativity
3.3 General relativity
3.4 Summary and conclusions
4 The evolution of time measurement
4.1 Date, calendar and hour
4.2 Time measurement based on alternation of day and night
4.3 Time based on Solar System dynamics: Ephemeris Time
4.4 Atomic time measurement
4.5 Coordinated Universal Time
4.6 Final comments
5 Clock time
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Frequency and time instability
5.3 Mechanical oscillators
5.4 Piezoelectric oscillators
5.5 Atomic time and frequency standards. The notion of accuracy
5.6 Time and frequency comparisons
6 Atomic frequency standards
6.1 Spectroscopic basis for atomic frequency standards
6.2 Operations involved in an atomic clock
6.3 Realising an approximation to the isolated atom at rest
6.4 Caesium beam clocks
6.5 Hydrogen masers
6.6 Rubidium cell clocks
6.7 Stored ion clocks
6.8 Other atomic frequency standards
6.9 Conclusion
7 Atomic time measurement
7.1 Definitions
7.2 Establishing International Atomic Time
7.3 Properties of TAI and UTC
7.4 World organisation of time measurement
7.5 Dissemination of time and frequency
7.6 Summary and prospects
8 Astronomical times
8.1 Universal Time
8.2 Ephemeris Time
8.3 Pulsar Time
9 Ultraprecise time and frequency applications
9.1 Fundamental research
9.2 Positioning, geodesy and navigation
9.3 Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)
9.4 The TOPEX/POSEIDON mission
9.5 Telecommunications
Appendices
1 Acronyms for time laboratories
2 Abbreviations
3 Definitions of base units in the SI system
4 International services
References
Index