Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42248836›Full record

ReviewNature communications2026

Precision timekeeping with atomic clocks: evolution and future directions.

Anjali Bisht, Poonam Arora, Venu Gopal Achanta

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Anjali BishtCSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0008-4038-9934
Poonam AroraCSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi, India.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6694-8350
Venu Gopal AchantaCSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K. S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi, India. achanta.nplindia@csir.res.in.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2554-5475

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Accurate timekeeping is foundational to modern society, supporting critical technologies such as global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), high-frequency financial trading, synchronization of communication networks, and the realization of SI base units. Here we review the evolution of timekeeping, with a particular emphasis on atomic clocks and their applications. We describe key dissemination methods, including Network Time Protocol (NTP), Precision Time Protocol (PTP), Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), and Two-Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer (TWSTFT). We further discuss emerging applications with stringent time-synchronization requirements, such as quantum communication and quantum computing. Finally, we discuss evolving trends in global timekeeping, including the redefinition of the SI second, lunar timekeeping, and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) for predictive control and resilience in timekeeping systems.

Identifiers

PMID42248836
PMCPMC13269707

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.