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Cesium Atom Clock: Counting Oscillations (2D)

A 2D oscilloscope-style view of the cesium-133 hyperfine transition: watch the resonance waveform and energy-level diagram tick toward exactly 9,192,631,770 oscillations per second, and compare against a drifting mechanical clock.

Physics & Mechanics2DEasy60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

The SI second is defined as exactly 9,192,631,770 oscillations of the microwave field resonant with the ground-state hyperfine transition of a cesium-133 atom. This 2D-native simulator draws that transition as an oscilloscope-style waveform and a two-level energy diagram rather than a rendered atom, counting real oscillations toward the defining number at a user-controlled, time-compressed rate. Detuning the microwave source away from exact resonance visibly degrades the lock quality and slows correct counting, while an adjustable-drift comparison clock — resettable with a single click — diverges from the atomic clock on its own strip chart, illustrating why atomic time replaced mechanical and quartz standards.

⚙ Under the hood

A 2D oscilloscope trace and hyperfine energy-level diagram count a cesium atom's microwave-driven oscillations toward exactly 9,192,631,770 per second, the SI definition of the second, against a drifting comparison clock.

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2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install