▁the ▁government . ▁When ▁the ▁government ▁b ureau c racy , ▁in ▁the ▁person ▁of ▁b ureau c rat ▁Th ad de us ▁Ar aman , ▁den ies ▁Pot ter ley ' s ▁request ▁for ▁chron os cope ▁access , ▁Pot ter ley ▁sets ▁in ▁motion ▁a ▁c land est ine ▁research ▁project ▁to ▁build ▁a ▁chron os cope ▁of ▁his ▁own . ▁Two ▁people ▁assist ▁his ▁quest : ▁a ▁young ▁physics ▁research er ▁named ▁Jon as ▁F oster ▁and ▁the ▁phys ic ist ' s ▁uncle , ▁a ▁professional ▁( i . e ., ▁lic ensed ▁by ▁the ▁government ) ▁science ▁writer , ▁Ralph ▁N im mo . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁this ▁work , ▁the ▁team ▁makes ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁discover ies . ▁First , ▁they ▁learn ▁that ▁the ▁government ▁has ▁been ▁suppress ing ▁research ▁into ▁chron os copy ; ▁never theless , ▁F oster ▁invent s ▁a ▁way ▁to ▁construct ▁a ▁chron os cope ▁that ▁is ▁much ▁more ▁compact ▁and ▁energy - efficient ▁than ▁that ▁of ▁its ▁pione er ▁invent or . ▁Though ▁this ▁discovery ▁del ights ▁Pot ter ley , ▁F oster ▁soon ▁proves ▁that ▁no ▁chron os cope ▁can ▁see ▁more ▁than ▁about ▁ 1 2 0 ▁years ▁into ▁the ▁past . ▁In ▁any ▁attempt ▁to ▁observe ▁an ▁earlier ▁time , ▁the ▁in ev itable ▁noise ▁totally ▁d row ns ▁out ▁the ▁signal . ▁The ▁government ' s ▁reports ▁of ▁chron os cope ▁observations ▁of ▁earlier ▁years ▁are ▁thus ▁clear ▁fabric ations . ▁ ▁Person ality ▁conflicts