Scientists in Xinjiang successfully created a novel crystal compound capable of generating ultraviolet light required for advanced thorium nuclear clocks. This breakthrough material could significantly advance sub-surface and deep-space navigation systems by providing ultra-precise timing independent of GPS.

Scientists in Xinjiang have created the world’s first crystal that can produce the ultraviolet light needed for future thorium nuclear clocks, which could one day guide submarines and deep-space probes without GPS. The fluorinated borate compound could push laser light to a record 145.2 nanometres (nm) – a wavelength short enough to meet a key requirement for these ultra-precise, portable clocks being developed in the United States, China and elsewhere, the team reported in Advanced Materials in...