Calculating TAI is a major resource for determining Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the shared international reference time scale that countries worldwide use to synchronise clocks. Without UTC in place as the world’s agreed consistent time-base, global navigation, financial and telecommunications systems would not function properly.
The definition of the SI second is the foundation upon which all timing applications are built, and any improvement in its precision directly translates to knock-on improvements along the measurement chain. Currently, the best optical atomic clocks are approximately 100 times more precise than the best caesium atomic clocks – however, without redefining the second, this improved precision cannot as yet be harnessed.
Source: NPL makes history with first UK optical clock to contribute to determining International Atomic Time – NPL
