Atomic & Molecular Physics

  • Experimental schematic of 3D soft x-ray vector ptychography.
    Chen-Ting Liao and the Kapteyn-Murnane group from JILA have developed and implemented a new method to use x-ray beams to capture the 3D magnetic texture in a material with very high 10-nanometer spatial resolution for the first time. They published their new technique and new scientific findings in Nature Nanotechnology.
  • A rendering of the indifferent interactions of p-waves based on their angular momentum
    JILA and NIST Fellow Ana Maria Rey and her group, together with JILA theorist Jose D鈥橧ncao, collaborated with the University of Toronto experimentalist team led by Joseph Thywissen. They devised a method to isolate pairs of atoms in an optical lattice, a web of laser light that helps isolate and control particle interactions, then gave the particles the necessary angular momentum, or twist, for the atoms to collide via p-wave using specific laser beam frequencies. This resulted in the first observation of p-wave interactions in an experiment.
  • JILA Fellow and 蜜桃传媒破解版下载 Distinguished Professor Andreas Becker
    JILA Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder聽Distinguished Professor Andreas Becker has been awarded a 2023 fellowship to Optica (formerly the聽Optical Society of America). Becker's work at JILA focuses on the analysis and simulation of ultrafast phenomena in atoms, molecules, and clusters, in particular attosecond electron dynamics, coherent control, and molecular imaging. Using special laser frequencies, Becker and his team are able to study the dynamics of these atoms and molecules in different time scales.
  • JILA Fellow Margaret Murnane
    JILA Fellow Margaret Murnane has been selected as a recipient of the 2022 Institute of Physics Isaac Newton Medal and Prize. This prestigious award honors the legacy of the famous physicist Sir Isaac Newton, by commending those who have made world-leading contributions in the field of physics.聽Murnane received the award for pioneering and sustained contributions to the development of ultrafast lasers and coherent X-ray sources and the use of such聽sources to understand the quantum nature of materials.
  • The cover of ACS Photonics, featuring a rendering of the experiment
    A collaboration led by Dr. Liao and other researchers, including JILA Fellows Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn, worked out a method to image and better analyze ST-OAM beams.
  • Graphical illustration of light focusing using a planar glass surface studded with millions of nanopillars (referred to as a metalens) forming an optical tweezer. (A) Device cross section depicts plane waves of light that come to a focus through secondary wavelets generated by nanopillars of varying size. (B) The same metalens is used to trap and image single rubidium atoms.
    JILA Fellow Cindy Regal and her team, along with researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), have for the first time demonstrated that they can trap single atoms using a novel miniaturized version of 鈥渙ptical tweezers鈥 鈥 a system that grabs atoms using a laser beam as chopsticks.
  • JILA's custom logo commemorating its 60th anniversary
    This year, JILA celebrates its 60th anniversary. Officially established on April 13, 1962, as a joint institution between the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), JILA has become a world leader in physics research. Its rich history includes three Nobel laureates, groundbreaking work in laser development, atomic clocks, underlying dedication to precision measurement, and even competitive sports leagues. The process of creating this science goliath was not always straightforward and took the dedication and hard work of many individuals.
  • President Todd Saliman visits JILA and NIST Fellow Eric Cornell and his laboratory team
    University of Colorado President Todd Saliman visited JILA this past week and toured the laboratories at the invitation of JILA and NIST Fellow Eric Cornell. Saliman was impressed by the research team and Fellows and applauded their work. 鈥淵ou are all working to change the world,鈥 President Saliman said.
  • A rendering of a ytterbium qubit held within a set of optical tweezers
    Our first paper from the Ytterbium tweezer project has been published in PRX! We show rapid control of the nuclear-spin qubit, T1聽on 10 to 100 second timescales, and T2聽times of several seconds. We also harness the narrow transitions in Yb to perform near-deterministic loading and ground-state cooling. See also follow up synopsis in Physics here.
  • Ultrafast infrared nano-imaging can improve characterization of electron and vibration dynamics with long-lived excitation states.
    Functional materials鈥攍ike molecular electronics, biomaterials, light-emitting diodes, or new photovoltaic materials鈥攇ain their electronic or photonic properties from complex and multifaceted interactions occurring at the elementary scales of their atomic or molecular constituents. In addition, the ability to control the functions of these materials through external stimuli , e.g., in the form of strong optical excitations, enables new properties in the materials, making them appealing for new technological applications. However, a major obstacle to overcome is the combination of the very fast time (billionths of a second) scales and the very small spatial (nanometer) scales which define the many-body interactions of the elementary excitations in the material which define its function. The extremely high time and spatial resolutions needed have been extremely difficult to achieve simultaneously. Many physicists have, therefore, struggled to visualize the interactions within these materials. In a paper recently published in Nature Communications, JILA Fellow Markus Raschke and his team report on a new ultrafast imaging technique that could solve this issue.
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