Birthday of Louis Essen | Inventor of the quartz crystal and atomic clock | Techday, September 6th
On this TECHDAY in history, ฮฟn September 6th 1908, Louis Essen was born in Nottingham, U.K. He was a physicist and inventor, his most famous inventions being the quartz crystal ring clock and the atomic clock. These devices were able to measure time more accurately than previous clocks did, through the vibrations of the atoms. Ultimately, because of that, the way humans measured time, changed.
The quartz ring clock became an important tool at observatories around the world ever since. On the other hand, the atomic clock made use of the fact, that every chemical element or compound has a unique (and stable through time and space) resonance while absorbing and emitting electromagnetic radiation. Due to his work, in 1967, the cesium atom’s natural frequency was formally recognized internationally as the new unit of time.
Essen’s work on the atomic clock was groundbreaking, as it allowed for the measurement of time with unprecedented accuracy. This was crucial for many fields, including navigation, telecommunications, and scientific research. The atomic clock has many applications, including GPS, satellite navigation, and the synchronization of computer networks.
Essen’s work on the atomic clock earned him many awards and honors. Essen received the Rumford Prize of the Royal Society in 1957 and the Hughes Medal of the Royal Society in 1960. He was also appointed as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1970. He passed away in August 1997.
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Author: PC-GR
The World of Technology
