A new kind of atomic clock possibly reveal new physics The design, which uses entangled atoms, could help scientists detect dark matter and study gravity’s effect on time. Atoms are trapped in an optical cavity composed of two mirrors. When a “squeezing” laser is set through the cavity, the atoms are entangled, and their frequency is measured with a second laser, as a platform for more precise atomic clocks. Credits: MIT scientists MIT scientists have designed a new kind of atomic clock that could answer some mind-boggling questions, such as what effect gravity might have on the passage of time and whether time itself changes as the universe ages.