The Color Of Atoms

October 4, 2005 4:01 AM

Americans, German win nobel prize for physics.They won for for their contributions to the development of laser-based precision spectroscopy, including the optical frequency comb technique, which among other thing allows them to measure the speed of light to such accuracy that it is now used as the definition for the meter, see if the laws of physics were the same at the beginning of time, and make gps satellites work much better.
posted by stilgar (5 comments total)

(via)
posted by stilgar at 4:05 AM on October 4, 2005

They give Nobel prizes to just about anyone these days it seems. Er, I mean, congrats.
posted by allen.spaulding at 4:46 AM on October 4, 2005

There's a little more detail on 'optical combs' here. (will produce a momentary illusion of understanding).

"...It will open the door to unprecedented spectral resolution, making it possible for scientists to study the fine structure of atoms and molecules with coherent XUV light.

posted by grahamwell at 4:58 AM on October 4, 2005

(still very giddy from the news)

An optical frequency comb is a very special type of white-light laser; the beam is actually composed of carefully controlled pulses of light each lasting dozens of femtoseconds (10^-15 seconds) and each coherent with the last. The result is an output spectrum that serves as an optical yardstick of sorts; one can measure the differences between optical frequencies to the same precision one can measure radio frequencies (which means parts in 10^15 or so).

Or, as is being worked on right now, one can dicipline a radio-frequency oscillator with the accuracy of an optical frequency standard (read: a more rugged defintion of the second).
posted by fatllama at 9:23 AM on October 4, 2005

Physics Web version of the same news.
posted by gramschmidt at 10:50 AM on October 4, 2005