A new crystal developed by Chinese scientists has broken the world record for ultraviolet light conversion, bringing nuclear clock technology closer to reality.

The fluorinated borate compound pushes laser light to a wavelength of 145.2nm, beating the previous benchmark of 150nm set by a Chinese crystal from the 1990s.

This wavelength is suitably short to meet a key requirement for ultra-precise portable nuclear clocks being developed in the United States, China, and other countries.

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Nuclear clocks - a major upgrade to GPS

Nuclear clocks keep time using vibrations inside an atomic nucleus rather than electron vibrations used in atomic clocks.

Atomic nuclei are far more stable than electrons and less affected by temperature, external vibration, and magnetic fields, meaning nuclear clocks could be ...