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An atomic fountain is a cloud of atoms that are tossed upwards by lasers in the Earth's gravitational field. If visible, it would resemble the water in a fountain. While weightless in the toss, the atoms are measured to set the frequency of an




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An atomic fountain is a cloud of atoms that are tossed upwards by lasers in the Earth's gravitational field. If visible, it would resemble the water in a fountain. While weightless in the toss, the atoms are measured to set the frequency of an atomic clock
Atomic clock

An atomic clock is a type of clock that uses an atomic resonance frequency standard as its timekeeping element. They are the most accurate time and frequency standards known, and are used as primary standards for international Time dissemination, and to control the frequency of television broadcasts and GPS satellite signals....
. This eliminates the effects of the Earth's gravity on the frequency.