Quantum clocks are the oldest and most mature form of quantum technology, enabling us to measure time with extraordinary precision. They have quietly transformed our world, underpinning advances in technology and society — from mobile communications to global navigation satellite systems. 

Today, quantum timekeeping forms a hidden but essential infrastructure of modern life. Looking ahead, a new generation of optical clocks offers the prospect not only of a new definition of time, but a new foundation for progress. Their unprecedented precision will unlock emerging applications — from autonomous navigation to monitoring Earth’s changing gravity field and beyond. 

About the Speaker

Helen Margolis is the Head of Science for the Time & Frequency department at the UK National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and an NPL Senior Fellow in Optical Frequency Standards and Metrology. Her research interests in next-generation optical clocks are part of a wider international effort towards a redefinition of the SI unit of time, the second, and she has coordinated two European projects working towards this goal: International Timescales with Optical Clocks (ITOC) and Robust Optical Clocks for International Timescales (ROCIT).  

Helen represents NPL and the UK on various international committees, including the Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency (CCTF) and several of its working groups. She has been a Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford since 2017 and was awarded an MBE in 2019 for her services to metrology. In 2023 she was awarded the I I Rabi Award by the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control Society, and also received the 2023 European Frequency and Time Award.