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14 - International Atomic Time (TAI)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2018

Dennis D. McCarthy
Affiliation:
United States Naval Observatory
P. Kenneth Seidelmann
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
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Summary

As atomic clocks became available in laboratories and observatories around the world atomic timescales were developed. The Bureau International de l'Heure began an atomic time scale in July 1955 based on clock comparisons at other locations. The IAU recommended a unification of an atomic timescale in 1967, and in 1971, the Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures (CGPM) requested the definition of International Atomic Time (TAI), and the methods and weighting for the determination of TAI have evolved over the years along with the organizations participating in the process. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) differs from TAI by integral seconds, so that TAI can be accessed through the international standard UTC. TAI can be considered as a realization of Terrestrial Time (TT).
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2018

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