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Physics

Atomic / Molecular / Quantum

News and Updates

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Yikes! NIST Sensor Measures Yoctonewton Forces Fast

August 31, 2010

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have used a small crystal of ions (electrically charged atoms) to detect forces at the

NIST Ultraviolet Source Helps NASA Spacecraft Measure the Origins of Space Weather

August 31, 2010

With a brilliant, finely tuned spark of ultraviolet (UV) light, a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helped NASA scientists

Glasperlenspiel: NIST Scientists Propose New Test for Gravity

August 31, 2010

A new experiment proposed by physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) may allow researchers to test the effects of gravity with

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

illustration of infrared laser light heating bathtub water

Some Like It Hot: How to Heat a 'Nano Bathtub' the JILA Way

July 21, 2010

Researchers at JILA have demonstrated the use of infrared laser light to quickly and precisely heat the water in "nano bathtubs"—tiny sample containers—for

Novel Ion Trap with Optical Fiber Could Link Atoms and Light in Quantum Networks

July 6, 2010

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated an ion trap with a built-in optical fiber that collects light emitted

JILA Team Finds New Parallel Between Cold Gases and 'Hot' Superconductors

July 6, 2010

Scientists at JILA, working with Italian theorists, have discovered another notable similarity between ultracold atomic gases and high-temperature

NIST/JILA 'Dark Pulse Laser' Produces Bursts of ... Almost Nothing

June 9, 2010

In an advance that sounds almost Zen, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the

It's Electrifying: JILA Scientists Use Electric Fields to Control Chemical Reactions of Ultracold Molecules

April 28, 2010

BOULDER, Colo. - Physicists at JILA have demonstrated a new tool for controlling ultracold gases and ultracold chemistry: electric fields. As described in the

NIST Racetrack Ion Trap is a Contender in Quantum Computing Quest

March 30, 2010

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have built and tested a device for trapping electrically charged atoms (ions) that

Seeing the Quantum in Chemistry: JILA Scientists Control Chemical Reactions of Ultracold Molecules

February 11, 2010

Physicists at JILA have for the first time observed chemical reactions near absolute zero, demonstrating that chemistry is possible at ultralow temperatures and

$A single photon travels through alternating layers of low (blue) and high (green) refractive index material more slowly (top) or quickly (bottom) depending upon the order of the layers.$

Stacking the Deck: Single Photons Observed at Seemingly Faster-than-Light Speeds

January 26, 2010

Researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), a collaboration of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland at

Everlasting Quantum Wave: NIST Physicists Predict New Form of Soliton in Ultracold Gases

December 15, 2009

Solitary waves that run a long distance without losing their shape or dying out are a special class of waves called solitons. These everlasting waves are exotic

JQI Researchers Create 'Synthetic Magnetic Fields' for Neutral Atoms

December 15, 2009

Achieving an important new capability in ultracold atomic gases, researchers at the Joint Quantum Institute, a collaboration of the National Institute of

NIST Demonstrates 'Universal' Programmable Quantum Processor

November 17, 2009

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information processor able

Time Magazine Names JQI Work Among Year's Best Inventions

November 17, 2009

Time Magazine has named research on the "quantum teleportation" of information from one atom to another in its "50 Best Inventions of 2009" feature. The

NIST Demonstrates 'Universal' Programmable Quantum Processor for Quantum Computers

November 16, 2009

BOULDER, Colo.— Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated the first "universal" programmable quantum information

Colorized simulation of what happens to 1100 carbon atoms in a 'flat' sheet of graphene about 20 microseconds after the central atom is moved slightly upwards.

Capturing Those In-Between Moments: NIST Solves Timing Problem in Molecular Modeling

November 3, 2009

A theoretical physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a method for calculating the motions and forces of thousands

NIST Physicists Turn to Radio Dial for Finer Atomic Matchmaking

October 20, 2009

Investigating mysterious data in ultracold gases of rubidium atoms, scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute of the National Institute of Standards and

Illustration showing how much smaller sodium-like tungsten ions are compared to sodium atoms.

High in Sodium: Highly Charged Tungsten Ions May Diagnose Fusion Energy Reactors

September 8, 2009

Just as health-food manufacturers work on developing the best possible sodium substitutes for low-salt diets, physicists at the National Institute of Standards

NIST Demonstrates Sustained Quantum Computation Processing

August 11, 2009

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated sustained, reliable information processing operations on electrically

NIST Demonstrates Sustained Quantum Processing in Step Toward Building Quantum Computers

August 6, 2009

BOULDER, Colo.—Raising prospects for building a practical quantum computer, physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have

The NIST "stylus trap" can hold a single ion (electrically charged atom) above any of the three sets of concentric cylinders on the centerline.

NIST Develops Novel Ion Trap for Sensing Force and Light

June 30, 2009

Miniature devices for trapping ions (electrically charged atoms) are common components in atomic clocks and quantum computing research. Now, a novel ion trap

The gold posts in this colorized micrograph, averaging 450 nanometers in diameter, are used to anchor individual biomolecules such as DNA for studies of their mechanical properties.

Nonstick and Laser-safe Gold Aids Laser Trapping of Biomolecules

June 16, 2009

Biophysicists long for an ideal material—something more structured and less sticky than a standard glass surface—to anchor and position individual biomolecules

NIST Physicists Demonstrate Quantum Entanglement in Mechanical System

June 3, 2009

BOULDER, Colo.—Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated entanglement—a phenomenon peculiar to the atomic-scale

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