Both atomic clocks are based on precise vibration of ions (atoms electrically loads) present within them. The researchers calculated that both systems should 'lose' less than a second in one million years. In particular,for aluminum clocks, the result is not sensitive to external electromagnetic fields and temperature, which makes it particularly interesting, as evidenced by Till Rosenband, the physicist who led the research on this new system.

These atomic clocks have a very high precision and thus many applications, not only to synchronize telecommunications networks and other systems and planetary spacecraft such as navigation systems and satellite positioning, but also to redefine the fundamental physical constants, and assess the possible change over time. These studies, as Jim Bergquist, the physicist at Nist who developed the mercury clock, pointed out, in addition to being subjects of great interest in science, may lead to a change in the models with which we currently describe the cosmos.

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