BIPM150 Interview: Dr Marina Gertsvolf on Overcoming Challenges on the Road to Redefining the Second
What challenges do we need to overcome on the road to redefining the second? From ensuring optical clocks can operate continuously, to agreeing which species to base the new standard on, the path to redefining time is as much about coordination and confidence as it is about science.
At the BIPM’s Scientific Conference during the 150th Anniversary of the Metre Convention, Dr Marina Gertsvolf of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) outlined the progress and challenges faced by the Consultative Committee for Time and Frequency (CCTF) in preparing for a future redefinition of the second.
Watch Our Interview
Dr Gertsvolf highlights the main challenges the community must overcome: selecting among excellent optical-clock candidates, comparing them reliably, and ensuring they run continuously to support International Atomic Time (TAI).
[4 minutes]
Watch Dr Marina Gertsvolf’s Keynote Address
Watch Dr Gertsvolf’s keynote talk from #BIPM150, where she presents the CCTF roadmap to the redefinition of the second. She explains why optical standards have surpassed caesium in accuracy — reaching 10⁻¹⁸ to 10⁻¹⁹ levels — and what criteria must be met before a new SI second can be adopted.
[33 minutes]
About the speaker
Dr Marina Gertsvolf is a physicist at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). She previously led NRC’s Time and Frequency Department, chaired a CCTF subgroup within the task force on the redefinition of the second, and headed the CCTF Working Group on International Atomic Time (TAI). She now directs NRC’s Quantum Sensors Programme and continues to contribute to international coordination in time and frequency metrology.