[time-nuts] The forbidden question

[William H. Fite]

That's an excellent point, Bob. We have friends who have friends who are
involved with the long baseline interferometry (LIGO) lab in Louisiana. I
will inquire and, if they have any relevant information I will pass it
along to you.

Thanks for your reply.

On Tuesday, June 4, 2019, Bob kb8tq <kb8tq at n1k.org> wrote:

> Hi
>
> One very basic thing that precision clocks allow you to dig deeper into is
> gravity. A gravity wave passing between two clocks should show up as a
> time
> ripple.
>
> Bob
>
> > On Jun 4, 2019, at 12:43 PM, William H. Fite <omniryx at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Warning: Potentially heretical material below
> >
> > Let me begin by saying I am neither an engineer nor a time expert. My PhD
> > is in statistics and my spouse's PhD is in theoretical computer science,
> > working on quantum computer algorithms. Neither of us claims any special
> > expertise when it comes to time and frequency measurement. I am a radio
> > amateur and I came to this group following a recommendation from John
> > Ackermann, who very kindly answered some questions for me regarding the
> > amateur radio frequency measurement test. I thoroughly enjoy the dialogue
> > here and I think that I have learned a bit about the subject though, by
> any
> > standard of this group, I am the rankest newbie.
> >
> > My question is a serious one. I am not trolling, nor am I trying to begin
> > an argument, nor am I implying criticism of anyone or any endeavor, here
> or
> > elsewhere.
> >
> > What useful purpose, if any, is served by the continuing evolution of
> > clocks like NIST-F2 that now achieve accuracy along the lines of one
> second
> > per many billions of years? Are there tangible benefits to be had? I
> > consulted an astronomer friend who advised that the current generation of
> > clocks would allow a suitable space vehicle to plant a probe squarely in
> > the middle of Alpha Centauri, if rocket technology existed to do so. We
> > have many friends in the academic computer science community who say that
> > neither conventional nor quantum computers that exist at present or in
> the
> > projectable future require anything like this kind of accuracy.
> >
> > By no means am I questioning the value of new knowledge qua knowledge.
> For
> > theoreticians like the one to whom I am wedded, no justification is
> needed
> > beyond the words of mountaineer George Mallory: "Because it's there." I'm
> > sure that engineers and scientists in the field of time and frequency
> > measurement feel the same. From that perspective, there need be no
> > rationalization beyond the desire to do it just a little better than it
> has
> > been done.
> >
> > Please don't lecture me about the value of science for its own sake. My
> > career has largely been built on that principle. I'd like to be informed
> as
> > to present or anticipated applications that require such accuracy. Are we
> > developing these incredible devices just to push boundaries? Or do they
> > have some practical purpose?
> >
> > I'll appreciate thoughtful answers. Dismissive and/or snarky replies will
> > be deleted unread.
> >
> > Thanks for your help.
> >
> >
> > --
> > Homo sum humani a me nihil alienum puto.
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-- 
Homo sum humani a me nihil alienum puto.