Headlines

When you pop a tray of water into the freezer, you get ice cubes. Now, researchers from CU Boulder and the University of Toronto have achieved a similar transition using clouds of ultracold atoms. The findings provide a new window into materials that are hard to investigate in the laboratory.

The optical atomic clock in Jun Ye's lab can create cluster states in milliseconds, which is necessary for quantum computing—considered a "holy grail" of quantum science. Quantum computers could solve complex problems that even today’s most sophisticated super computers cannot.

Jun Ye and Svenja Knappe presented their quantum-related work in short "lightning round" sessions at the 2019 AeroSpace Ventures Day: Research Blitz, an event designed to connect potential collaborators with a wide range of aerospace and defense research projects.

The Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences named theoretical physicist and JILA Fellow Ana Maria Rey one of three Laureates for the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists.

Academics and government officials met on Friday, May 31 to discuss the urgent need to collaborate to advance U.S. prowess in quantum information science. “It’s really key that our high-strength quantum hubs are tied together so they’re complementary instead of competitive,” said Terri Fiez, vice chancellor for research and innovation at CU Boulder.

Physics Professors Victor Gurarie and Michael Hermele have joined the newly established Simons Collaboration on Ultra-Quantum Matter. Led by Ashvin Vishwanath (at Harvard) and Hermele, the collaboration will study fundamentally quantum mechanical behavior arising in systems of a large number of electrons or atoms.

Rey’s research in atomic and molecular physics explores some of the most challenging and fundamental problems in physics. Working with experimentalists, her innovative theoretical work led to the development of the world’s most accurate atomic clocks. Rey has also developed and tested theories that will enable the construction of a quantum computer.

CU Boulder has a tradition of excellence in quantum science and technology. Work in the field continues on and off campus in the many companies that have been founded by CU engineering and physics faculty and former students.

The University of Colorado Boulder has joined the IBM Q Network—a global community of academic institutions, Fortune 500 companies, startups and research labs—with the intent to seek collaborations with IBM Q scientists and engineers through the CUbit Quantum Initiative. 

On April 17-18, CU Boulder representatives met with leadership at the White House, federal research agencies and in Congress to discuss the university's unique strengths in quantum research.