News and Updates

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Table in darkened lab holds wiring and other laser electronics; a circular light source is situated above.

Major Leap for Nuclear Clock Paves Way for Ultraprecise Timekeeping

September 4, 2024

These clocks could lead to improved timekeeping and navigation, faster internet speeds, and advances in fundamental physics research.

Close-up of a scientific instrument with wires and a circular metallic component, illuminated by blue light, featuring a small red dot at the center.

World’s Most Accurate and Precise Atomic Clock Pushes New Frontiers in Physics

July 1, 2024

The clock is the latest demonstration that a much more precise definition of the official second is possible and that new applications of clocks are feasible.

Scientists Observe Long-Predicted Superconductor Property Using a Quantum Simulator

February 14, 2024

New insights can help scientists make superconducting materials more robust and useful.

Illustration of a pair of tweezers surrounding a beam of light that illuminates a line of atoms, each with an analog clock face in the center and an up and down arrow pointing through it.

New Spin-Squeezing Techniques Let Atoms Work Together for Better Quantum Measurements

September 25, 2023

Opening new possibilities for quantum sensors, atomic clocks and tests of fundamental physics, JILA researchers have developed new ways of “entangling” or

Illustrated molecules, represented by red spheres and blue spheres connected by a white cylinder, fill a dark blue field. Alongside the molecules are electrons, represented by light blue spheres with directional arrows pointing through them.

Why Does Matter Exist? Roundness of Electrons May Hold Clues

July 6, 2023

JILA physicists make record-breaking measurement of a key electron property.

Jun Ye: A Timely Profile

June 26, 2023

Physicist Jun Ye has a knack for making every second count—literally. At JILA, a joint research institute of the University of Colorado and the National

NIST/JILA Physicist Ana Maria Rey Elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 9, 2023

As a theoretical physicist, Ana Maria Rey studies atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter physics and quantum information science.

JILA’s Frequency Comb Breathalyzer Detects COVID-19 With Excellent Accuracy

April 6, 2023

JILA researchers have upgraded a breathalyzer based on Nobel Prize-winning frequency-comb technology and combined it with machine learning to detect SARS-CoV-2

Ana Maria Rey sits at desk in an office and smiles for a photo.

Spotlight: NIST/JILA Fellow Ana Maria Rey’s Entrance Into Theoretical Physics

February 10, 2023

For the International Day of Women and Girls in Science tomorrow, we’re bringing her story to you.

Illustrations shows atoms connected with glowing lines inside the cylinder of the interferometer.

An Entangled Matter-Wave Interferometer: Now With Double the Spookiness!

October 20, 2022

A team of researchers at JILA has for the first time successfully combined two of the “spookiest” features of quantum mechanics to make a better quantum sensor.

Adam Kaufman poses for a head shot with a shelf of library books in the background.

NIST Physicist Adam Kaufman Wins Breakthrough New Horizons in Physics Prize

September 22, 2022

Kaufman won for his work in advancing the control of atoms and molecules to improve atomic clocks and quantum information processing.

NIST Researchers Develop Miniature Lens for Trapping Atoms

August 1, 2022

Atoms are notoriously difficult to control. They zigzag like fireflies, tunnel out of the strongest containers and jitter even at temperatures near absolute

Spotlight: Connecting the Apples and Oranges of Quantum Computing

June 16, 2022

Before we can send bits of information through networks of quantum computers at different locations, we need to resolve an issue with our building blocks for

Spotlight: The Bucket Brigade for Atomic Physics and the Electron Dipole Moment

May 19, 2022

Gone are the days of bucket brigades for firefighting — long lines of people passing buckets of water one at a time toward a blaze — but NIST/JILA researchers

JILA Atomic Clocks Measure Einstein’s General Relativity at Millimeter Scale

February 16, 2022

JILA physicists have measured Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, or more specifically, the effect called time dilation, at the smallest scale ever

Energizer Atoms: JILA Researchers Find New Way to Keep Atoms Excited

November 18, 2021

JILA researchers have tricked nature by tuning a dense quantum gas of atoms to make a congested “Fermi sea,” thus keeping atoms in a high-energy state, or

A person wearing safety goggles works at a table of scientific equipment.

JILA’s Comb Breathalyzer Is Now a Thousandfold More Sensitive to Disease Biomarkers

October 4, 2021

JILA scientists have boosted the sensitivity of their decade-old frequency comb breathalyzer a thousandfold and can detect additional biomarkers of disease —

NIST/JILA Fellow Jun Ye Wins Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

September 9, 2021

BOULDER, Colo. — Physicist Jun Ye of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been awarded the 2022

Illustration shows two buildings labeled "NIST" and "JILA" facing each other with mountains in the background.

NIST Team Compares 3 Top Atomic Clocks With Record Accuracy Over Both Fiber and Air

March 24, 2021

In a significant advance toward the future redefinition of the international unit of time, the second, a research team led by the National Institute of

Gold-colored metal square has connectors and chip in center.

Spotlight: On the Hunt for Dark Matter With Quantum Squeezing

February 10, 2021

Look out dark matter, here come the detectives. This NIST amplifier, which measures tiny electrical currents, has boosted the search for the mysterious dark

JILA’s Bigger and Better ‘Tweezer Clock’ Is Super Stable

December 16, 2020

JILA physicists have boosted the signal power of their atomic “tweezer clock” and measured its performance in part for the first time, demonstrating high

Orange horizontal shapes on a purple background

JILA’s Electric ‘Knob’ Tunes Chemical Reaction Rates in Quantum Gas

December 10, 2020

Building on their newfound ability to induce molecules in ultracold gases to interact with each other over long distances, JILA researchers have used an

Grid shows two peaks, with the left one taller than the right.

New JILA Tools ‘Turn On’ Quantum Gases of Ultracold Molecules

December 9, 2020

JILA researchers have developed tools to “turn on” quantum gases of ultracold molecules, gaining control of long-distance molecular interactions for potential

Cartoon alarm clock holds magnifying glass and runs after a splat representing a particle covered with squiggly lines representing a field.

Advanced Atomic Clock Makes a Better Dark Matter Detector

November 12, 2020

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

JILA Team Demonstrates Model System for Distribution of More Accurate Time Signals

October 21, 2019

JILA physicists and collaborators have demonstrated the first next-generation “time scale” — a system that incorporates data from multiple atomic clocks to

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