News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on In Vienna and Beijing, the First (Thorium) Nuclear Clocks Begin to Tick. Parent comment

Re:In Vienna and Beijing, the First (Thorium) Nuclear Clocks... by fsh on Thursday October 08, 2026 @01:23AM (#50002045)
The nuclear clock uses 229Th though which has an 8000 year half life and does not occur in nature at all.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:In Vienna and Beijing, the First (Thorium) Nuclear Clocks... by adrian_b on Thursday October 08, 2026 @04:52AM (#50003419)
Yes, it is produced artificially in nuclear reactors, thus it is much more expensive than any natural isotope.

The amount used in a nuclear clock would be very small, but even so, its availability would be a problem.

[ Parent | on HN ]