Annual Precision Timing Contest: Achieving Precision at One Becquerel Level timekeeping
In the world of science, Mihai Cuciuc, a renowned researcher, has made a unique creation that combines the intrigue of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books with the principles of physics. Cuciuc has developed a one-Becquerel clock, a timepiece that ticks precisely at one hertz.
The one-Becquerel clock, much like the Vetinari Clock in Discworld, is a testament to psychological torture, albeit in a more academic context. The clock's ticking, though irregular due to the decay of the Am-241 source it uses, can be unsettling, much like the irregular tick of the Vetinari Clock in Pratchett's novels. Interestingly, this psychological impact has recently attracted the attention of hackers, who have begun to experiment with imposing this phenomenon on themselves.
To create this unique clock, Cuciuc had to overcome several challenges. One such challenge was the problem of background radiation when using a one-Becquerel source. To tackle this, he used the Pomelo gamma-ray spectroscope, a tool he himself developed, to discriminate at such a low count rate.
The clock design is inspired by the Vetinari Clock, with Cuciuc using two Pomelo solid-state scintillation detectors as a coincidence detector. The clock is triggered to tick when both detectors go off simultaneously. To adjust the distance from the gamma detector and achieve one detection per second, Cuciuc had to fine-tune the setup.
The one-Becquerel clock is not perfectly accurate due to the decay of the Am-241 source. However, when averaged over a long period, the clock produces a time signal stable at one hertz. This stability, combined with the Geiger-counter sound effect in the demo video, adds to the clock's intrigue and psychological impact.
Cuciuc initially attempted to create a clock that ticks at one Becquerel, the SI unit of radioactivity equivalent to one radioactive decay per second. However, he used an Am-241 source with higher activity than one decay per second to ensure the clock's detectors could reliably register a tick.
The one-Becquerel clock is a fascinating blend of science and fiction, demonstrating the potential for real-world applications of concepts from Discworld. The clock's unique design and its psychological impact make it a topic of interest for both scientists and fans of Pratchett's works alike.
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