A fascinating material for metrology: The Pr:LiGdF4 solid-state laser

One of the most important tasks of metrology is the measurement of time, because in the modern life many aspects of our society require to know time with high precision. A first example includes all navigation systems, because they rely on time intervals to evaluate position, but many other systems require stable, accurate and reliable clocks, from scientific instruments to secure data networks and financial management systems.