Warning: Potentially heretical material below Let me begin by saying I am neither an engineer nor a time expert. My PhD is in statistics and my spouse's PhD is in theoretical computer science, working on quantum computer algorithms. Neither of us claims any special expertise when it comes to time and frequency measurement. I am a radio amateur and I came to this group following a recommendation from John Ackermann, who very kindly answered some questions for me regarding the amateur radio frequency measurement test. I thoroughly enjoy the dialogue here and I think that I have learned a bit about the subject though, by any standard of this group, I am the rankest newbie.
My question is a serious one. I am not trolling, nor am I trying to begin an argument, nor am I implying criticism of anyone or any endeavor, here or elsewhere. What useful purpose, if any, is served by the continuing evolution of clocks like NIST-F2 that now achieve accuracy along the lines of one second per many billions of years? Are there tangible benefits to be had? I consulted an astronomer friend who advised that the current generation of clocks would allow a suitable space vehicle to plant a probe squarely in the middle of Alpha Centauri, if rocket technology existed to do so. We have many friends in the academic computer science community who say that neither conventional nor quantum computers that exist at present or in the projectable future require anything like this kind of accuracy. By no means am I questioning the value of new knowledge qua knowledge. For theoreticians like the one to whom I am wedded, no justification is needed beyond the words of mountaineer George Mallory: "Because it's there." I'm sure that engineers and scientists in the field of time and frequency measurement feel the same. From that perspective, there need be no rationalization beyond the desire to do it just a little better than it has been done. Please don't lecture me about the value of science for its own sake. My career has largely been built on that principle. I'd like to be informed as to present or anticipated applications that require such accuracy. Are we developing these incredible devices just to push boundaries? Or do they have some practical purpose? I'll appreciate thoughtful answers. Dismissive and/or snarky replies will be deleted unread. Thanks for your help. -- Homo sum humani a me nihil alienum puto. _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list -- [email protected] To unsubscribe, go to http://lists.febo.com/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts_lists.febo.com and follow the instructions there.
