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A look inside the optical atomic clock cavity, with the red light being a reflection of the laser light used in the optical lattice
JILA Researchers Create an Even More Precise Optical Atomic Clock

JILA and NIST Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder Physics professor Jun Ye and his team at JILA, a collaboration between NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder, have developed an atomic clock of…

Two orbs are compared to each other, showing different areas noise affects them with colored areas.
Mapping Noise to Improve Quantum Measurements

One of the biggest challenges in quantum technology and quantum sensing is “noise”–seemingly random environmental disturbances that can disrupt the delicate quantum states of qubits, the fundamental units of quantum…

Atoms in an optical lattice perform a "quantum walk" where they experience many different quantum phenomena, such as superposition or tunneling.
The Interference of Many Atoms, and a New Approach to Boson Sampling

In daily life, when two objects are “indistinguishable,” it’s due to an imperfect state of knowledge. As a street magician scrambles the cups and balls, you could, in principle, keep track of which ball is which as…

Atoms inside of an optical cavity exchange their momentum states by "playing catch" with photons. As the atoms absorb photons from an applied laser, the whole cloud of atoms recoil rather than the individual atoms.
Twisting and Binding Matter Waves with Photons in a Cavity

Precisely measuring the energy states of individual atoms has been a historical challenge for physicists due to atomic recoil. When an atom interacts with a photon, the atom “recoils” in the opposite direction,…

Coulomb crystals are surrounded by molecules used in the Lewandowski laboratory to study astrochemical reactions
Cold Coulomb Crystals, Cosmic Clues: Unraveling the Mysteries of Space Chemistry

While it may not look like it, the interstellar space between stars is far from empty. Atoms, ions, molecules, and more reside in this ethereal environment known as the Interstellar Medium (ISM). The ISM has…

Multilevel atoms on a superradiance potential "rollercoaster" inside an optical cavity. The system can be tuned to generate squeezing in a dark state where it will be immune to superradiance.
Squeezing in the Dark of a Superradiant Roller Coaster

While atomic clocks are already the most precise timekeeping devices in the universe, physicists are working hard to improve their accuracy even further. One way is by leveraging spin-squeezed states in clock atoms.…

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Major Activities

JILA PFC Partnerships

FIU logo.FIU-JILA Partnership for Research and Education in Physics: https://fiujilaprep.fiu.edu/Student-faculty exchange diagram.
 

An NSF-sponsored partnership between FIU Physics and JILA Physics Frontier Center (PFC) for research excellence and diversity in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics. Click diagram for a larger image.

Latest News

JILA postdoctoral researcher Brandon Dzuba stands next to his award-winning poster
July 26, 2024 | JILA Postdoc Brandon Dzuba Wins a Best Poster Award at the 2024 Single Molecule Approaches to Biology GRC Conference

JILA postdoc Brandon Dzuba has been honored with the best poster award at the 2024 Single Molecule Approaches to Biology Gordon Research Conference (GRC) in Maine. This international conference, known for its focus on cutting-edge and unpublished research, provides a platform for scientists of all career stages to present their work and engage in robust discussions.

  

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Recent Publications

Clock with 8 × 10^{−19} Systematic Uncertainty
Aeppli A., K. Kim, W. Warfield, M.S. Safronova, and J. Ye, Physical Review Letters 133, 023401 (2024).
Investigators: Jun Ye
Quantum sensing and metrology for fundamental physics with molecules
DeMille D., N.R. Hutzler, A.M. Rey, and T. Zelevinsky, Nature Physics 20, 741–749 (2024).
Investigators: Ana Maria Rey
Quantum state manipulation and cooling of ultracold molecules
Langen T., G. Valtolina, D. Wang, and J. Ye, Nature Physics 20, 702 (2024).
Investigators: Jun Ye
Momentum-exchange interactions in a Bragg atom interferometer suppress Doppler dephasing
Luo C., H. Zhang, V.P.W. Koh, J.D. Wilson, A. Chu, M.J. Holland, A.M. Rey, and J.K. Thompson, Science 384, 551-556 (2024).
Investigators: Ana Maria Rey | James Thompson | Murray Holland
Essay: Quantum Sensing with Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Platforms for Fundamental Physics
Ye J., and P. Zoller, Physical Review Letters 132, 190001 (2024).
Investigators: Jun Ye
Exploiting Nonclassical Motion of a Trapped Ion Crystal for Quantum-Enhanced Metrology of Global and Differential Spin Rotations
Lewis-Swan R.J., J.C.Z. Castro, D. Barberena, and A.M. Rey, Physical Review Letters 132, (2024).
Investigators: Ana Maria Rey
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