Core Insights - Beijing Quantum Information Science Research Institute announced a significant breakthrough in continuous wave vacuum ultraviolet light sources, overcoming the last core bottleneck in the development of nuclear optical clocks [1] - The research results open new pathways for quantum precision measurement and have been published in the renowned academic journal "Nature" [1] Group 1: Breakthrough Details - The nuclear optical clock, which replaces electronic transitions with nuclear transitions, is less sensitive to environmental disturbances and offers high precision, strong resistance to environmental interference, and potential for portability and engineering [1] - The breakthrough involved achieving 148 nanometer continuous wave output and reducing the linewidth by nearly six orders of magnitude, addressing the light source issue for nuclear optical clocks [1] Group 2: Applications and Industry Impact - The results can be applied in quantum precision measurement research and serve quantum information-related experiments, potentially enhancing the resilience of key links in the semiconductor industry chain [2] - The research team, with an average age of under 30, is seen as a core force driving innovation, and there is an expectation for society to assign more responsibilities to young researchers to achieve original breakthroughs and disruptive results [2]

北京市一支年轻的科研团队，在实验室内成功发出波长仅148纳米的连续激光，攻克了核光钟研制的最 后一个核心瓶颈，并首次将超稳激光技术拓展至真空紫外波段。依托这项技术，未来，人类对时间的精 密计量能力将有望再上台阶。2月12日，这项成果登上《自然》杂志。 时间计量离不开高精度"振荡器"。全国通用的"北京时间"，是依靠高性能原子钟组通过精密比对和校准 实现的。原子钟的原理基于原子外层电子跃迁，但外层电子对电磁场环境比较敏感，一旦受到外界影 响，频率就会发生改变，影响计时精度。最高精度的原子光钟通常只能在实验室环境内运行。 科学界提出了一条更具潜力的路径——核光钟。钍-229原子核激发态能量最低，最容易被激光激活，它 的原子核内部跃迁可以成为计时的参考。原子核跃迁对外部环境的敏感性更低，这让核光钟的工作环境 限制更小，更加简易、便携，且测量精度有望进一步提升。"不过，这些只是学术界的展望，因为核光 钟的研制面临一个核心瓶颈，那就是产出能操控钍-229原子核的148纳米连续激光。"清华大学副教授、 北京量子信息科学研究院兼聘研究员丁世谦带领团队，向这一难题发起挑战。 实验室里，一个意想不到的现象出现。"蒸气内的原子密度 ...