Headlines
Compared to the one-dimensional optical lattice used in traditional atomic clocks, the strontium quantum gas clock confines atoms in all directions by placing them in a 3D lattice. This approach has unique benefits, as outlined in a new study published by Jun Ye (Physics, JILA, NIST) and his team in Science.
"One thing exciting about this experiment is that right now, there are not a lot of people doing these sorts of things—combining cryogenics with optical tweezers," says Ting-Wei Hsu, a graduate student working with Cindy Regal (Physics, JILA) at Q-SEnSE, an NSF Quantum Leap Institute led by CU Boulder.
In collaboration with JILA and NIST Fellow James Thompson, Jun Ye's team generated quantum entanglement using spin squeezing, resulting in an enhancement in atomic clock performance operating at the 10-17 stability level. Their novel experimental setup was recently published in Nature Physics.
CU Boulder has announced seven winners of the 2023-2024 translational quantum research seed grants, incentivizing quantum science and technology innovations launched from the lab to accelerate them along the development path to new programs and businesses.
After simulating superconductivity in an excited state using an atom-cavity system, research teams at JILA have observed three distinct phases of superconducting dynamics, including a rare “Phase III” featuring persistent oscillatory behavior predicted by condensed matter physics theorists but never before observed.
In quantum computer chips, information can quickly jumble up, like the cream in your morning coffee. However, Rahul Nandkishore (Physics) and his team have demonstrated that scientists can create a scenario where the milk and coffee never mix, potentially expanding the memory capabilities of quantum chips.
In a new Optica paper, Jun Ye (Physics, JILA) and his team, working with JILA electronic staff member Ivan Ryger and Hall, implemented a new approach for the Pound-Drever-Hall (PDH) method, reducing RAM to never-before-seen minimal levels while making the system more robust and simpler.
Senator Hickenlooper was given a brief tour of JILA, meeting with several instrument makers to see equipment purchased with congressionally directed spending. The senator then engaged in a comprehensive roundtable discussion with Colorado leaders in the quantum computing industry and academic sectors.
Four major foundations have launched a collaborative funding effort totaling $30 million for 11 pioneering "tabletop" experiments. One of the awarded experiments, led by JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye and his research team, involves the development of ultra-precise atomic clocks.
"A physicist's goal is to answer a core scientific question that we don’t have an answer to," says Rieker. "And an engineer’s goal is to solve a problem for which we don’t have a solution. Q-SEnSE ... [brings] those two states of mind together, helping us bridge technology in a way that I don't think has been possible before."