Cesium, as Second Standard
- Until 1960 second was (606024)-1=(86400)-1 of day.
(Mean solar second flucutated by 10 ppb.)
- Until 1967 was corresponding fraction of tropical year.
(Ephemeris second good to few ppb except for orbit decay.)
- Since 1967:
- The second is the duration of 9 192 631 770 periods of the
radiation corresponding to the transition between the two
hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium-133 atom.
(Accuracy of 10 ppt. Then comparable to Hydrogen Maser at 1 ppt.)
- In 1997 the International Committee on Weights and Measures (CIPM)
affirmed this was at 0K.
- Is now accurate to 2x10-15 or 2 parts per quintillion
and still improving at power of 10 per decade since 1960.
- Pressure to stabilize or move standard from 9 GHz
- with: hydrogen masers used since 1976 with cesium fountain clock in space
- to: single 199Hg+ at 1 064 721 609 899 143 (10) Hz or 282 nm
- to: 107 40Ca at 455 986 240 494 158 (26) Hz or 657 nm
- with: sapphire-rutile (TiO2)
- Effects of velocity, gravity, temperature, etc.
loom large (and measureable/predictable).
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