Laser Cooling and Trapping Group

News and Updates

Bringing Atoms to a Standstill: NIST Miniaturizes Laser Cooling

January 21, 2021

It’s cool to be small. Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have miniaturized the optical components required to cool atoms

A New Playbook for Interference

December 17, 2019

Particles can sometimes act like waves, and photons (particles of light) are no exception. Just as waves create an interference pattern, like ripples on a pond

JQI Researchers Shed New Light on Atomic ‘Wave Function’

May 16, 2019

Physicists have demonstrated a new way to obtain the essential details that describe an isolated quantum system, such as a gas of atoms, through direct

Desktop Cosmology: A Model of the Expanding Universe

April 23, 2018

When the universe was very young – about a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang – it underwent a sudden explosive expansion

Projects by Staff Members

Select one of the Staff Members below to obtain background information regarding their research interests.

Gretchen K. Campbell
Charles W. Clark
Paul D. Lett
William D. Phillips
James (Trey) Porto
Ian Spielman
Eite Tiesinga

Projects and Programs

Quantum Nonlinear Optics for Metrology and Networking

Quantum nonlinear optics provides a means to generate and manipulate light at the quantum level, with applications in enhanced sensing and metrology, and in

Fundamental Constants in Nature

We are involved in efforts to collate data on precision measurements and the theoretical description of these measurements with the aim to improve the values of

Quantum Computation and Simulation with Neutral Atoms

Quantum information processing seeks to use the features of quantum physics to accomplish otherwise intractable computational tasks. The two main thrusts of

Cold-atom-based sensor for measuring pressure in the ultra-high vacuum domain

NIST is building a cold-atom vacuum sensor (CAVS) that will be able to measure pressures in the ultra-high vacuum (UHV) regime corresponding to pressures less

Spinor Condensates and Ultracold Collisions

Interactions between cold atoms can provide us with the means to manipulate matter on the smallest scales. Collisions between laser-cooled atoms, in particular

Controlling collisions between laser-cooled atoms using magnetic fields and nano-eV colliders

We investigate collisions of atoms in either micro-Kelvin gasses or in nano-colliders, where two small atomic clouds are made to collide with adjustable energy

Publications

Feedback Induced Magnetic Phases in Binary Bose-Einstein Condensates

December 7, 2020

Author(s)

Ian B. Spielman, Shangjie Guo, Hilary M. Hurst

Weak measurement in tandem with real-time feedback control is a new route toward engineering novel non-equilibrium quantum matter. Here we develop a theoretical

Simplify your life

December 2, 2020

Author(s)

Gordon Drake, Eite Tiesinga

Within the Hartree atomic unit systems, the Schrödinger equation becomes parameter free. But there's more to it than making a student's life easier, as Gordon

Isotope shift spectroscopy of the 1S0 to 3P1 and 1S0 to 3P0 transitions in strontium

November 19, 2020

Author(s)

Gretchen Campbell, Hirokazu Miyake, Neal Pisenti, Peter Elgee, Ananya Sitaram

Isotope shift spectroscopy with narrow optical transitions provides a benchmark for atomic struc- ture calculations, and has also been proposed as a way to

Confinement of an alkaline-earth element in a grating magneto-optical trap

October 15, 2020

Author(s)

Ananya Sitaram, Peter Elgee, Gretchen K. Campbell, Daniel S. Barker, Nikolai N. Klimov, Stephen P. Eckel

We demonstrate a compact magneto-optical trap (MOT) of alkaline-earth atoms using a nanofabricated diffraction grating chip. A single input laser beam, resonant

Awards

2020 - Arthur S. Flemming Award---William Phillips, Ian Coddington, Andrew Ludlow

The Arthur S. Flemming Award was established in 1948 to honor outstanding federal employees for unusually meritorious work.

2019/2020 George A. Snow Memorial Award - Gretchen Campbell

For her work on the Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics (CUWiP). About Dr. George A. Snow: Throughout his tenure at the

2020 Arthur S. Flemming Katharine B. Gebbie Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Federal Service – William D. Phillips

In addition to the Arthur S. Flemming awards given annually to midcareer federal employees, William D. Phillips, a physicist in NIST’s

2019 - Presidential Rank Award---Ian Spielman

For his pioneering work and leadership in developing quantum simulation techniques to investigate natural phenomena too complex for traditional mathematical computation.

Laser Cooling and Trapping Group

News and Updates

Bringing Atoms to a Standstill: NIST Miniaturizes Laser Cooling

A New Playbook for Interference

JQI Researchers Shed New Light on Atomic ‘Wave Function’

Desktop Cosmology: A Model of the Expanding Universe

Projects by Staff Members

Projects and Programs

Quantum Nonlinear Optics for Metrology and Networking

Fundamental Constants in Nature

Quantum Computation and Simulation with Neutral Atoms

Cold-atom-based sensor for measuring pressure in the ultra-high vacuum domain

Spinor Condensates and Ultracold Collisions

Controlling collisions between laser-cooled atoms using magnetic fields and nano-eV colliders

Publications

Feedback Induced Magnetic Phases in Binary Bose-Einstein Condensates

Simplify your life

Isotope shift spectroscopy of the 1S0 to 3P1 and 1S0 to 3P0 transitions in strontium

Confinement of an alkaline-earth element in a grating magneto-optical trap

Awards

2020 - Arthur S. Flemming Award---William Phillips, Ian Coddington, Andrew Ludlow

2019/2020 George A. Snow Memorial Award - Gretchen Campbell

2020 Arthur S. Flemming Katharine B. Gebbie Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Federal Service – William D. Phillips

2019 - Presidential Rank Award---Ian Spielman

Contacts

Group Leader