Research Highlights
Older atomic clocks operating at microwave frequencies have hunted for dark matter before, but this is the first time a newer clock, operating at higher optical frequencies, and an ultra-stable oscillator to ensure steady light waves have been harnessed to set more precise bounds on the search.
Follow that electron! JILA researchers have proposed a means of capturing an electron's flight path during ionization, and in doing so, determining the state of the atom at that moment.
When it comes to chemical reactions, shape matters. The Lewandowski Group have studied acetylene and its reactions with propyne and allene to find out how an isomer changes the chemical reaction pathway.
We're in the Second Quantum Revolution, and companies are eager to build and market new technology based on rapid advances in quantum physics. JILA Fellow Heather Lewandowski and her group decided to find out what qualifications these companies were looking for in the new quantum workforce.
The Weber Group has found what causes rubrene to generate upconversion photoluminescence. By exploring new routes to triplet formation and triplet-triplet annihilation, they learn how organic materials can take lower-energy photons and generate higher energy output, which could have implications for photovoltaics and new electronics.
SU(N) fermion systems are multi-component, spin-symmetrical collections of atoms—which are unique among degenerate gases. The Ye Group found that SU(N) fermion systems display special properties that allow them to be quickly cooled and prepared for use in quantum-matter based atomic clocks.
A protein's function within a cell relies on how it folds, unfolds, and refolds. Using atomic force microscopy tools, the Perkins Group can precisely measure the free energy it takes to unfold and refold a few amino acids in the protein, which opens the door to making more precise measurements and alterations to a cell's membrane proteins.
The coronavirus pandemic upended schools in the spring of 2020, sending students and faculty home. This rapidly changed how instructors handled laboratory physics courses. With a NSF RAPID grant, JILA Fellow Heather Lewandowski asked instructors what worked—and what didn't—as they moved their lab courses online.
Famous thought experiment Schrödinger’s Cat posits that a quantum system can be in two opposing states simultaneously—a specific type of superposition. Creating cat states in a large number of atoms has been difficult for physicists. The Rey Theory Group has developed a new means of preparing these cat states in the state-of-the-art strontium optical atomic clock. Cat states could in turn improve the sensitivity of the clock beyond what is possible with independent atoms.
Nanoscale materials act differently than their macro counterparts. Using ultra-fast extreme ultraviolet lasers, the KM Goup at JILA has been able to probe silicon carbide as thin as 5 nanometers to understand its strength as it shrinks. This research will help engineers designing ever-shrinking electronics and other technologies.