SYNCHRONIZATION OF CLOCKS

David W. Allan

Abstract:	Time metrology has moved from milliseconds to picoseconds in the last four decades, and frequency metrology from nine significant digits to sixteen. The ability to synchronize remote clocks has improved dramatically as well. With implementation of GPS (Global Positioning System,) the full long-term frequency stability as well as the frequency accuracy of the best atomic clocks can now be transferred to remote sites. GPS's selective availability, an intentional degradation of system performance, will adversely affect the accuracy and stability of GPS time and frequency for the average civilian user. In this paper we define terms of reference, discuss various alternatives for clock synchronization and syntonization, and make some comparisons between various techniques used in synchronizing and syntonizing clocks. In the process we review the concepts of time stability and accuracy, frequency stability and accuracy.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 21th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting November 28 - 30, 1989 Sheraton Hotel Redondo Beach, California
Pages:	1 - 18
Cite this article:	Allan, David W., "SYNCHRONIZATION OF CLOCKS," Proceedings of the 21th Annual Precise Time and Time Interval Systems and Applications Meeting, Redondo Beach, California, November 1989, pp. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.33012/1989.14500
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