Optical clock network tracks tidal variations of the gravity potential
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Kilian Stahl, Ingo Nosske, Chetan Vishwakarma, Tim Lücke, Joshua Klose, Erik Benkler et al. · arXiv: 2610.39635v1 · Summary page
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Clocks follow the changing pull of the tides
Gravity changes the rate at which clocks tick, making precise timekeeping a way to measure differences in gravitational potential. A new preprint takes that technique beyond static comparisons. Using optical clocks connected by phase-stabilized fibre links in Europe, researchers tracked changes driven by lunar and solar tides in configurations with baselines of about 800 km. The measured clock-rate shifts resolved the predicted tidal signal within 1 d and agreed with model predictions.
A transportable clock served as a remote sensor in one comparison, pointing toward measurements outside permanent laboratories. For Earth science, the longer-term attraction is monitoring changes associated with deformation and moving mass, including in volcanic or geologically active regions. Those applications remain prospective: this demonstration tracked predictable tides, rather than previously unknown geophysical changes.
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