Precision Measurement
In an article published June 11, 2026 in the journal Nature Physics, a team of JILA researchers led by JILA Fellow Adam Kaufman, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, report experiments demonstrating the versatility of ytterbium atoms as qubits. A neutral ytterbium atom is an adaptable chameleon that can be used as multiple styles of qubit, each bringing distinct advantages. Their experiments demonstrate a quantum multitool that can tackle quantum computations, quantum simulations and precise measurements of time and also combine the capabilities associated with each application.
Physics alumnus Alexander Aeppli (PhDPhys’25) is the recipient of this year’s Deborah Jin Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research, a national honor awarded by the Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP) of the American Physical Society. Aeppli received the award at the annual DAMOP meeting held June 1-5, 2026, in Providence, Rhode Island.
New research led by Professors and JILA Fellows Ana Maria Rey and James Thompson published in Physical Review X proposes a new entangled state for atoms in a quantum sensor. The team’s methods can be created quickly, and more importantly, faster as the system gets larger, making them practical for scaling quantum sensors.
JILA Fellow Jun Ye has been elected a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. His election recognizes his extraordinary contributions to physics and quantum science, including pioneering advances in optical atomic clocks, precision measurement, and quantum many-body physics.
JILA Fellow Jun Ye has been elected a corresponding member abroad of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, OeAW), recognizing his internationally influential contributions to physics and quantum science. Election to the OeAW honors scholars whose work has had a profound impact well beyond Austria and reflects exceptional standing within the global research community.
Researchers at JILA propose a new superradiant laser design for next-generation “active” atomic clocks that eliminates atom-heating and vibration sensitivity, two major obstacles that have limited precision and practicality. By carefully guiding atoms through a controlled loop of quantum states, the approach could enable compact, robust atomic—and potentially nuclear—clocks that maintain extreme accuracy even under physical disturbances.
JILA graduate student Anya Grafov, a member of the Kapteyn‑Murnane Group, has been selected as one of just 16 global recipients of the 2026 Zonta International Women in STEM Award, which recognizes exceptional early‑career women advancing research and innovation in STEM fields worldwide. The award honors Grafov’s work in ultrafast magnetism and her commitment to fostering more inclusive and equitable scientific communities.
In quantum metrology, it has been considered for some time whether quantum error correction can be used to enhance precision measurements. Here, the primary challenge is devising codes ad protocols that correct noise while not correcting the unknown signal being sensed. In this collaboration with the Pichler, we identify some promising conditions for leveraging quantum error correction for enhanced sensing, even when signal and noise couple identically to sensor qubits.
Drum-like membrane resonators are intriguing for precision sensing because their resonance frequencies can be sensitive to a variety of parameters of interest, from mass to thermal radiation. The quest for improved sensitivity in tensioned membranes faces a tradeoff in which a high amplitude of mechanical motion improves signal-to-noise, but too high of a drive (beyond the so-called critical amplitude) introduces nonlinear effects.
In our work published in NanoLetters, we develop an experimentally straightforward method to evade this tradeoff. Using a patterned, trampoline-shaped membrane, we find that dual-mechanical-mode operation can bring these sensors to a thermally-limited frequency stability. By measuring and correcting for frequency noise arising at high amplitude, we maintain this high stability when operating beyond the linear regime, opening new opportunities for membrane frequency sensing.
Physicists at ñ have demonstrated a new kind of vacuum ultraviolet laser that could one day allow scientists to observe phenomena currently out of reach for the most powerful microscopes.
The new laser could allow researchers to follow fuel molecules in real time as they undergo combustion, spot incredibly small defects in nanoelectronics, track time with unprecedented precision and more.
The JILA team will present its preliminary findings on March 17 and March 19 at the American Physical Society Global Physics Summit in Denver.