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Physical Measurement Laboratory

Quantum Physics Division

News and Updates

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JILA Team Develops 'Spinning Trap' to Measure Electron Roundness

December 5, 2013

JILA researchers have developed a method of spinning electric and magnetic fields around trapped molecular ions to measure whether the ions' tiny electrons are

NIST Physicists 'Entangle' Microscopic Drum's Beat with Electrical Signals

October 22, 2013

Extending evidence of quantum behavior farther into the large-scale world of everyday life, physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology

CU-Boulder and NIST Joint Institute Physicist Ana Maria Rey Wins 2013 MacArthur Fellowship

September 25, 2013

Ana Maria Rey, a theoretical physicist and a fellow of JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University

Beyond Quantum Simulation: JILA Physicists Create 'Crystal' of Spin-swapping Ultracold Gas Molecules

September 18, 2013

Physicists at JILA have created a crystal-like arrangement of ultracold gas molecules that can swap quantum "spin" properties with nearby and distant partners

JILA Researchers Discover Atomic Clock Can Simulate Quantum Magnetism

August 8, 2013

Researchers at JILA have for the first time used an atomic clock as a quantum simulator, mimicking the behavior of a different, more complex quantum system

NIST Scientists Wineland and Nesbitt Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 30, 2013

Two National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) scientists, David Wineland and David Nesbitt, have been elected members of the American Academy of

NIST Mechanical Micro-Drum Used as Quantum Memory

March 13, 2013

One of the oldest forms of computer memory is back again—but in a 21st century microscopic device designed by physicists at the National Institute of Standards

JILA Physicists Achieve Elusive 'Evaporative Cooling' of Molecules

December 19, 2012

Achieving a goal considered nearly impossible, JILA physicists have chilled a gas of molecules to very low temperatures by adapting the familiar process by

Construction Industry Honors JILA X-Wing

November 27, 2012

JILA's new X-Wing addition has received two construction industry awards—best project in higher education/research and special judges' recognition—from the

Deborah Jin standing on the staircase at JILA

Deborah Jin of JILA Selected for 2013 Women in Science Award

October 22, 2012

Deborah Jin, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) who works at JILA, has been selected as the North American recipient for

The World's Most Stable Laser

September 10, 2012

The world's most stable laser – with frequency variation of no more than 2 parts in 10,000 trillion – has been developed and tested by an international

The State Armory Building in Boulder, Colorado, was the first home of JILA

JILA Named 'Physics Historic Site' on its 50th Anniversary

July 11, 2012

JILA, a Colorado laboratory known around the world for creating new states of matter and novel laser designs and applications, turns 50 this year and will

Artist's conception of JILA's advance in atomic force microscope (AFM) design.

Not-So-Precious: Stripping Gold From AFM Probes Allows Better Measurement of Picoscale Forces

June 27, 2012

Gold is not necessarily precious—at least not as a coating on atomic force microscope (AFM) probes. JILA researchers found that removing an AFM probe's gold

JILA Frequency Comb Helps Evaluate Novel Biomedical Decontamination Method

June 14, 2012

Like many new measurement tools, the laser frequency comb seemed at first a curiosity but has found more practical uses than originally imagined. The technique

JILA Team Demonstrates 'A New Way of Lasing': A 'Superradiant' Laser

April 4, 2012

BOULDER, Colo. – Physicists at JILA have demonstrated a novel "superradiant" laser design, which has the potential to be 100 to 1,000 times more stable than the

Good Timing: NIST/CU Collaboration Adds Timing Capability to Living Cell Sensors

February 7, 2012

Individual cells modified to act as sensors using fluorescence are already useful tools in biochemistry, but now they can add good timing to their resumé

New Colors: JILA Scientists Confirm First 'Frequency Comb' to Probe Ultraviolet Wavelengths

February 1, 2012

Physicists at JILA have created the first "frequency comb" in the extreme ultraviolet band of the spectrum, high-energy light less than 100 nanometers (nm) in

Photo of NIST physicist Jun Ye with his strontium atomic clock

NIST/JILA Physicist Jun Ye Elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 10, 2011

Physicist Jun Ye, a Fellow of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and a Fellow of JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of

NIST/JILA Physicist Wins Optical Society's Meggers Award

April 12, 2011

Steven Cundiff, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has received the 2011 William F. Meggers Award from the Optical

Quantum Quirk: JILA Scientists Pack Atoms Together to Prevent Collisions in Atomic Clock

February 3, 2011

BOULDER, Colo.—In a paradox typical of the quantum world, JILA scientists have eliminated collisions between atoms in an atomic clock by packing the atoms

New Wave: JILA Develops Efficient Source of Terahertz Radiation

January 19, 2011

JILA researchers have developed a laser-based source of terahertz radiation that is unusually efficient and less prone to damage than similar systems. The

Stretching, the Truth: JILA Biophysicists Help Unravel DNA Stretching Mystery

January 19, 2011

Using a new experimental test structure, biophysicists at JILA have unraveled part of a 15-year mystery in the mechanics of DNA—just how the molecule manages to

AFM Positioning: Shining Light on a Needle in a Haystack

November 9, 2010

The researchers characterize their new technique as a neat solution to the "needle in a haystack" problem of nanoscale microscopy, but it's more like the

JILA Unveils Improved 'Molecular Fingerprinting' for Trace Gas Detection

October 13, 2010

Scientists at JILA and collaborators have demonstrated an improved laser-based "molecular fingerprinting" technique that picks out traces of key hydrogen

JILA Frequency Comb System Detects Gas Impurities to Aid Semiconductor Manufacturing

August 3, 2010

Purity of ingredients is a constant concern for the semiconductor industry, because a mere trace of contaminants can damage or ruin tiny devices. In a step

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