Tweezing a New Kind of Atomic Clock
Atoms are tricky to control. They can zip around, or even tunnel out of their containment. In order for new precision measurement tools and quantum devices to work—and work well—scientists need to be able to control and manipulate atoms as...
JILA’s Electric ‘Knob’ Tunes Chemical Reaction Rates in Quantum Gas
Building on their newfound ability to induce molecules in ultracold gases to interact with each other over long distances, JILA researchers have used an electric “knob” to influence molecular collisions and dramatically raise or lower...
New JILA Tools ‘Turn On’ Quantum Gases of Ultracold Molecules
JILA researchers have developed tools to “turn on” quantum gases of ultracold molecules, gaining control of long-distance molecular interactions for potential applications such as encoding data for quantum computing and simulations. The...
Advanced Atomic Clock Makes a Better Dark Matter Detector
JILA researchers have used a state-of-the-art atomic clock to narrow the search for elusive dark matter, an example of how continual improvements in clocks have value beyond timekeeping. Older atomic clocks operating at microwave...
Measuring Spinning Donuts
Atoms are busy objects. Electrons whiz around the nucleus of the atom in attoseconds—quintillionths of a second. Those electrons can be orbiting farther out from the nucleus in an excited state, close to the nucleus in the lowest energy...

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
Department of Defense Awards Konrad Lehnert Prestigious Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship
JILA Fellow Adam Kaufman wins Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award
JILA Fellows Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn Win the Benjamin Franklin Medal for Physics
Fellows Jun Ye and Deborah Jin named Most Highly Cited Researchers for 2019

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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.