Local laboratory of national time frequency measurement center opens
Officials unveil the Shanghai laboratory of the national time frequency measurement center.
The Shanghai laboratory of the national time frequency measurement center was unveiled in the Pudong New Area on Thursday.
It will provide timing support in areas such as finance and medical research.
The world-class laboratory comprising time frequency measurement technology research, quantitative traceability service and talent cultivation was approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation in October.
It is an important element of Shanghai's drive to become a technology and innovation center, said the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.
The laboratory will significantly lift the science and technology level of time frequency, and will provide support for the development of finance, science and technology, and trade industries in Shanghai.
Time frequency is important to ensure finance security, the Shanghai Stock Exchange said.
The exchange requires a hundred nanoseconds of time accuracy, while the laboratory has a technical capability of nanosecond (or 0.000000001 second), according to Xu Liang, an engineer at the laboratory.
"Such accuracy will provide support for the Shanghai-London stock connection to go live, ensure the safety of financial data, and safeguard the fairness of stock trades," he said.
The Shanghai Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology which operates the laboratory signed a cooperation agreement with the stock exchange on Thursday.
Other areas such as satellite positioning and medical treatment also require a high level of accuracy.
A microsecond measurement error can lead to 300 meters of ground positioning error, said Xu.
"Time is also an important index in pharmacological analysis as the accuracy of time will affect the correctness of pharmacological analysis results in the clinical tests of medicine," said Xu.
The laboratory will help ensure the time synchronization of different laboratories in hospitals, he said.
Standard time can be calibrated and transferred through the Internet, satellite and optical fiber, but these are not stable, and the system further ensures data security, said Xu.
