Effects of Blackbody Radiation in Atomic Clocks

Explore the impact of blackbody radiation on atomic clocks in this 20-minute talk by Ekkehard Peik, presented at the Workshop on "Blackbody Radiation Induced Effects and Phenomena" at the Erwin Schrödinger International Institute for Mathematics and Physics. Delve into the historical context of atomic clock development, starting from the 1967 introduction of time unit definition to the 1982 discovery of blackbody radiation's effect on caesium clocks. Learn about the challenges in experimentally verifying this effect and the subsequent amendment to the SI definition of the second in 1997. Examine how modern atomic clocks, particularly optical atomic clocks, address the blackbody radiation issue through various methods, including selecting reference transitions with small differential polarizability and controlling the atomic environment's temperature. Gain insights into the ongoing efforts to improve atomic clock accuracy in the face of blackbody radiation effects.