Neglected atom has top properties for atomic clocks

Like watchmakers choosing superior materials to build a fine timepiece, physicists at the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) at the National University of Singapore have singled out an atom that could allow them to build better atomic clocks. The CQT team report in Nature Communications that a previously neglected element--lutetium--could improve on today's best clocks. Lutetium (Lu) is a rare earth element with atomic number 71.