Keck Foundation Donates $1.5 Million To CU-Boulder Center For Ultracold Molecular Research
March 4, 2003

The W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles has donated $1.5 million to establish the W.M. Keck Center for Ultracold Molecular Research at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Chancellor Richard L. Byyny announced today.

"This center will build on CU-Boulder's existing strength in atomic, molecular and optical physics," said Chancellor Byyny. "It will enhance the links between the programs of some of our most outstanding researchers and provide outstanding opportunities for training students and post-doctoral research associates in pioneering science."

The center will be located at JILA on campus, which brings together researchers in astrophysics, chemistry and physics, including Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell, who were awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in physics for creating the long-sought Bose-Einstein condensate. John Bohn, Murray Holland, Deborah Jin and Jun Ye, along with Wieman and Cornell, are lead scientific investigators for the center.

JILA already benefits from a previous Keck Foundation grant that established the W.M. Keck Laboratory for Optical Measurements. JILA's cold atom research program, including the Bose-Einstein condensate work, has made extensive use of this facility, but the thrust of the new center will be entirely different from the previous Keck Laboratory.

"Looking ahead to our next frontier, we will launch an experimental effort in cold molecules that builds on our current expertise in cold atom research," said Jun Ye. "One of our roadblocks for these experiments is the means to detect, image and characterize cold molecules once they are trapped. The Keck Cold Molecule Center grant will enable us to launch a new, collaborative effort aimed at developing and applying the necessary tools and skills for this detection."

Some scientists have speculated that work in this and related fields could lead to the development of new forms of chemistry at cold temperatures, faster and better computer chips, more accurate atomic clocks and advances in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is a manufacturing technology that will make most products lighter, stronger, cleaner, less expensive and more precise.

JILA operates under the joint auspices of CU-Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a 40-year government-university partnership in scientific research, education and outreach.

The W.M. Keck Foundation was established in 1954 by the late William M. Keck, founder of The Superior Oil Co. The Foundation's grant making is focused primarily in the areas of medical research, science and engineering.

The Keck grant will be administered through the University of Colorado Foundation, which is an independent, privately governed nonprofit organization that raises and manages private support for the benefit of the University of Colorado.

Contact:
Myrna Hall, (303) 492-1683
Jun Ye, (303) 735-3171
Kevin Lee, (303) 492-1874

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