The JILA Association of Graduate Students (JAGS) recently hosted a stress-relief event featuring two special guests from Go Team Therapy Dogs. The friendly therapy dogs had just walked over from the CU Rec Center, where they were greeted by over 200 students, before making their way to JILA.

JILA and NIST Fellow Ana Maria Rey, a physics professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, was prominently featured in a recent Physics World article titled "Return to Helgoland: Celebrating 100 Years of Quantum Mechanics." The piece delves into the significant advancements in quantum science since its inception, with Rey's work highlighted as a pivotal contribution to the field.

In a spirited competition, the Thompson group, led by JILA and NIST Fellow and CU Boulder physics professor James Thompson, emerged victorious in the much-anticipated JILA Cup Badminton Tournament. The competition pitted the Thompson group against the Lehnert group, led by JILA Fellow Adjoint Konrad Lehnert, now at Yale University.

The latest episode of the Humans of JILA podcast spotlights the JILA Association of Graduate Students (JAGS), a recently formed group dedicated to supporting the graduate student experience at JILA. Whether students are just beginning their graduate journey or nearing completion, JAGS provides resources, fosters community, and promotes professional development to help them thrive.

JILA and NIST Fellows Ana Maria Rey, Jun Ye, and Adam Kaufman have been highlighted in a recent Financial Times article, "The Mind-Bending New Science of Measuring Time," by Oliver Roeder. The piece delves into the forefront of precision timekeeping and its implications for understanding fundamental physics.

JILA and NIST Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder Physics professor Jun Ye and his research team were recently featured in The Washington Post for a groundbreaking achievement in nuclear clock technology. This advancement brings humanity closer to a new era in timekeeping, with implications that extend from redefining time standards to unlocking new scientific discoveries. 

On November 7, 2024, the Rayback Collective in Boulder hosted 65 current and former members of the JILA community gathered for the "Life After JILA" alumni mixer. The event, now managed by the JILA Association of Graduate Students (JAGS), offered an evening of reconnection, networking, and celebration of JILA's rich history and community.

In this episode of Humans of JILA, we take a deep dive into the JILA Keck Lab. This state-of-the-art facility supports groundbreaking research in optics, nanotechnology, and microfabrication. We explore both the W. M. Keck Optical Measurement Laboratory, which houses JILA’s shared optical measurement instruments, and the JILA Micro and Nanofabrication Facility—better known as the clean room. Guest speaker Clean Room Technician Alan Copley walks us through the meticulous processes required to maintain a pristine, particle-free environment and discusses the Keck Lab's vital role in enabling precision science at JILA and beyond.

On October 17th, JILA hosted JILAX, an annual event that invites JILA community members to step away from their research and share their passions, interests, and hobbies. This year’s event brought an eclectic mix of talks, covering everything from automotive restoration to mobile gaming, showcasing the diverse talents and interests of JILA’s community. With the aim of fostering camaraderie and connection beyond scientific pursuits, JILAX highlighted the fun, nerdy, and deeply personal sides of JILA’s members.

On September 19th 2024, the JILA Association of Graduate Students (JAGS) hosted its latest session of the JILA Graduate Student Seminar Series in the JILA Auditorium. This monthly seminar offers colloquium-style presentations by JILA graduate students, highlighting research across various fields in both experimental and theoretical physics.

Check out the latest episode of the "Humans of JILA" podcast, featuring an insightful conversation about JILA JEDI – JILA's initiative for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusivity. JEDI is a self-nominated, cross-disciplinary team of Fellows, staff, students, and postdocs committed to promoting diversity and advancing inclusivity through various educational programs and activities. 

JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye and his team's revolutionary work on nuclear clock technology was recently highlighted in a feature by Scientific American. The article delves into the creation of the world’s first nuclear clock, developed in Boulder, Colorado, which builds upon decades of research into precision timekeeping. Nuclear clocks, which rely on the ticking of atomic nuclei rather than atomic electrons, promise to surpass the precision and accuracy of current atomic clocks, which have set the standard for international timekeeping for decades.

In a recent CNN article, groundbreaking research led by JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye and his team was highlighted for its remarkable advancements in nuclear clock technology. The article emphasized how their work builds upon the pioneering efforts of scientists who embedded thorium-229 into crystals in 2023, allowing for enhanced signal tracking by suppressing noise from nuclear decay.

The JILA Cup rivalry continued this week as the Lehnert group faced off against the Regal group in an epic beach volleyball tournament at the Boulder High Beach volleyball courts. The competition, held on Monday September 9th, drew the attention of nearby spectators as the two teams battled it out for the glory of winning the JILA Cup. 

Jun Ye, a JILA and NIST Fellow and CU Boulder Professor of Physics, and his team have made headlines in Quanta Magazine for their groundbreaking work on nuclear timekeeping. Graduate student Chuankun Zhang led the team in observing a thorium-229 nuclear transition—an elusive process that could redefine how we measure time.

In the latest episode of the "Humans of JILA" podcast, we take an in-depth look at the CUbit Quantum Initiative, an organization at the University of Colorado Boulder. CUbit is at the forefront of quantum research, education, and workforce development, serving as a vital bridge between academia, industry, and government. 

JILA's recent advancements in the precision of strontium optical lattice clocks have garnered significant recognition, with Physics World Magazine highlighting their achievement. The research team from JILA and the University of Colorado, Boulder, has set a new record in measuring the frequency of an optical lattice clock with an unprecedented systematic uncertainty of 8.1 × 10⁻¹⁹. This level of precision is equivalent to a fraction of a second over the entire universe age, underscoring the importance of this development in the field of atomic clocks.

JILA celebrated its much-anticipated annual brat cookout on Thursday, August 8, 2024, an event beloved by the institute's community. Hosted by JILA's instrument shop, the cookout featured over 500 brats cooked to perfection, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the shop's staff. 

On July 31, the much-anticipated JILA Cup challenge unfolded on the physics lawn outside the JILA tower, showcasing the spirited rivalry between the Sun group and the Lehnert group. This competition, a high-energy spikeball tournament, saw four games played simultaneously until one team reached 15 points. In a nail-biting finish, the Lehnert group emerged victorious, edging out the Sun group with a final score of 15 to 12.

The latest "Humans of JILA" podcast episode features an insightful discussion with JILA graduate student and astrophysical researcher Tatsuya Akiba. Working under the mentorship of JILA Fellow and Assistant Professor Ann-Marie Madigan, Akiba delves into their recent research on white dwarf stars.