Hi One very basic thing that precision clocks allow you to dig deeper into is gravity. A gravity wave passing between two clocks should show up as a time ripple.
Bob > On Jun 4, 2019, at 12:43 PM, William H. Fite <[email protected]> wrote: > > 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. _______________________________________________ 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.
