# What Optical Atomic Clocks Tell Us About Space-Time | Jun Ye

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/632nm-6933948/what-optical-atomic-clocks-tell-us-about-space-time-jun-ye
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/632nm-6933948/what-optical-atomic-clocks-tell-us-about-space-time-jun-ye.md
Podcast: [632nm](https://stenobird.com/podcast/632nm-6933948)
Published: 2025-09-23T15:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/54450d14
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/54450d14/7fb10f18.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/632nm-6933948/episodes/what-optical-atomic-clocks-tell-us-about-space-time-jun-ye
Duration seconds: 6755

## Resource

Times have changed. And cesium clocks can't keep up. In this episode, we sit down with Jun Ye, Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (JILA) Fellow and pioneer of optical lattice clocks, whose work has pushed timekeeping far beyond traditional cesium atomic clocks. Ye explains how combining ultra-stable lasers, frequency combs, and ultra-cold atoms produces clocks more than 100× more precise than today’s standards: so sensitive they can detect gravitational time dilation across the width of a human hair. We explore how this next generation of atomic clocks may open windows onto gravitational waves, test Einstein’s relativity in new regimes, and even help build a GPS for space travel. Ye also shares his personal journey from growing up during China’s Cultural Revolution to becoming a leader in precision measurement, and what that experience taught him about resilience, mentorship, and protecting scientific inquiry. Whether you’re curious about time, relativity, quantum physics, GPS technology, or the frontiers of precision measurement, this conversation offers a rare insider’s look at how breakthroughs in timekeeping can lead to entirely new physics. Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists: Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/ Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/ Follow our hosts! Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovsky Misha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginov Xinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYin Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6OR Webs…

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