Drumming to the Heisenberg Beat
“It's not noiseless but in principle it could be noiseless, and in practice it's approaching that limit.” - Robert Delaney At JILA, scientists work on mechanical oscillators which are the size of a grain of salt. They may be tiny, but...
The Power of the Dark Side
"Dark states are stable and they do not decay. There is the possibility that they live forever." -Ana Maria Rey How long can a unique atomic state live? Atoms normally live in their ground state, where its electrons are sitting in...
How universal is universality?
“Atoms aren’t like protons. They’re full of pulleys and bells and whistles. Sometimes, those 'guts' matter.” - Eric Cornell We understand pretty well how a single atom behaves. Two atoms interacting with each other? Still solvable. But...
Counting the quietest sounds in the universe
In the Lehnert Lab at JILA, a qubit sits in a small copper box. The qubit itself would fit on your pinky nail. Using that qubit, graduate student Lucas Sletten can measure the quietest sound in the universe: individual phonons, the...
Dancing through dynamical phase transitions in an out-of-equilibrium state
In physics, it’s always easier to study a system in equilibrium. A system in equilibrium is neat and orderly, everything in balance. But the real world is rarely so perfectly balanced. “Life is out-of-equilibrium. The weather is out-of-...

The JILA Physics Frontier Center (JILA PFC) brings together 20 investigators in collaboration to share goals, ideas, expertise and technology in their aim to realize precise measurement, innovative manipulation, and harvesting ever-more intriguing meaning, all in the world of complex  quantum systems.

A theme that runs through all of JILA PFC research is the importance of interactions in understanding and exploiting the nature of quantum many-particle systems. The JILA PFC seeks to foment a new quantum revolution, in which matter with built-in quantum correlation will be understood, controlled, and harnessed. In this process, we will gain new insights into the emergence of universal rules that govern complex materials. At the same time, the JILA PFC envisions inventing novel quantum-measurement approaches for exploring unknown corners of our physical world.

The JILA PFC is housed within the JILA institute, which is a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

MAJOR ACTIVITIES

Center News

Quantum Matter from Basic Constituents
Quantum Correlated States and Measurement for Fundamental Physics
Out-of-Equilibrium Dynamics of Quantum Systems
eXpanding the Impact of our Science and Technology
Fellows Jun Ye and Deborah Jin named Most Highly Cited Researchers for 2019
Quantum physics: Atomic research discoveries show there’s much more to learn
JILA team demonstrates model system for distribution of more accurate time signals
Australian fellowship named for late JILA Fellow Deborah Jin

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JILA’s NSF Physics Frontier Center follows University of Colorado polices for ensuring harassment-free environments.  For more detailed information please read the whole Discrimination and Harassment Policy and Procedures.