Precision Measurement

Chameleon Atoms: JILA Researchers Demonstrate Versatile Atomic Qubits That Can Pass Around Information

Daniel Packman — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 19:06:04 +0000

Chameleon Atoms: JILA Researchers Demonstrate Versatile Atomic Qubits That Can Pass Around Information Daniel Packman Thu, 06/11/2026 - 13:06

Bailey Bedford / Freelance Science Communicator

Researchers are developing new technologies that harness quantum physics to defy the familiar constraints of daily life and established approaches. A variety of quantum simulations, quantum sensors and quantum computers have been developed that can significantly outperform existing technologies at certain tasks.

Many quantum technologies are built on a foundation of qubits—the structures that store quantum states in ways that are practical to manipulate and interpret. Researchers and engineers are exploring many different approaches to making and using qubits, spanning platforms like superconducting circuits, trapped ions, neutral atoms and more. The various approaches have different advantages and disadvantages that are being navigated as quantum technologies are developed.

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.

The group focused on a specific isotope of ytterbium, ytterbium-171, that has appealing features for multiple quantum applications. Scientists can use laser light to cool ytterbium-171 atoms, to hold the atoms in ordered arrays and to alter their quantum states. The properties of the atoms let them function as qubits in multiple ways. At a basic level, a qubit requires a pair of distinguishable states that can exist in combinations of the states called superpositions. The group’s experiments used a method they developed to transfer quantum states between three distinct ways of making qubits.

“Ytterbium-171 has long been used for state-of-the-art optical clocks and recently has become a promising candidate for neutral-atom quantum computing,” says Kaufman. “Our work here demonstrates how these directions can be combined, as well as augmented with other directions in quantum information science, including quantum many-body dynamics.”

One qubit approach used in the experiment is built on states of ytterbium-171 atoms that have been harnessed in clocks that provide incredibly precise and reliable timekeeping. Researchers put the electrons of atoms in particular states that facilitate very precise measurements. The two distinct states of ytterbium-171 used in clocks can also be the basis of a qubit—called an optical qubit.

Ytterbium-171 also has a different electron state that scientists find useful. When researchers provide additional energy to an electron, they can put the atom in a state called a Rydberg state. The extra energy pushes the electron further from the center of the atom. Putting atoms into the Rydberg state, takes them from being essentially non-interacting to being strongly interacting, which helps scientists craft quantum simulations and generate entanglement—a uniquely quantum phenomenon of quantum states where the evolution and fates of quantum states are intrinsically connected. The Rydberg state combined with one of the states from the clock qubit can function as a Rydberg qubit.

Finally, the nucleus of the atom has an inherent quantum property called spin—it is like a tiny magnet that can either point with or against a magnetic field. The group used the two states of nuclear spin pointing in opposite directions as the basis of a qubit, called a nuclear qubit. The resulting nuclear qubits are a convenient and reliable way to perform quantum computing operations.

Since the nuclear qubit is based on the spin of the nucleus, the researchers were free to use atoms with the electrons in a particular state of their choice. This let the team choose atomic states so that all three of their qubit types shared one of the states of the atom.

The group developed a way to move entangled quantum states between these distinct qubit paradigms. The team took advantage of the fact that shining a light of a particular frequency (color) can predictably change the state of the atoms even when they are entangled.

Since all three types of qubits share one of their two defining states, the superposition of that half of a qubit can be flipped to either of the alternative qubits. Then, the remaining half left in the original qubit can be moved to complete the new qubit. Since each pair of states responds to a different frequency of light, the team can alternate beams to direct the qubits through the necessary shuffling act of transferring a state.

The researchers demonstrated that they could move multi-particle states between pairs of qubits in the different paradigms and then performed an experiment bridging the three qubit styles and their corresponding domains of usefulness. They created a quantum state of the Rydberg qubit using techniques from the realm of quantum simulation and then passed it to the nuclear qubit, where they performed a quantum computing operation to slightly adjust it. Finally, they passed that state onto the clock qubit, where it could potentially be used to perform measurements related to time and frequency. The procedure demonstrates how ytterbium atoms can be the foundation of a device with the flexibility to shift between simulation, computing and metrology.

“This can connect quantum simulation to quantum computing to quantum metrology in a single atomic species,” says JILA graduate student Aruku Senoo, who was the first author of the article. “Once you make that kind of system, if you develop some technique for quantum simulation, you can apply it for quantum computing, or if you develop some state generation mechanism for quantum computing, you can apply it for quantum metrology.”

The researchers also showed that they could transfer quantum states that extended over larger numbers of qubits. The researchers at the University of Innsbruck had theoretically developed a method to calculate the optimal way to make a particular quantum state called the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states. The two groups worked together to identify the pulse of light needed for their experimental setup to create a GHZ state spread across as many of their qubits as they could manage. With the optimized light pulse, the team successfully made states with up to 20 Rydberg qubits at a time and then transferred them to nuclear qubits. The collaboration describes the theory behind this technique in an article published recently in the journal Physical Review Letters.

The extra steps to shuffle states around introduced more opportunities for errors to occur, but fortunately, the optical qubits provided a measurement method to circumvent many of the errors that popped up in their experiment. Using the optical qubits provided an improved method for the team to detect when tasks using Rydberg or nuclear qubits had produced an error where the atom was no longer in a valid state—for instance sometimes an atom will randomly release energy and leave the Rydberg state. Detecting one of these errors let the team throw out that measurement instead of proceeding with corrupted results.

They demonstrated that detecting such bad experimental runs could improve how reliably they made two qubits interact. Using the new technique and throwing out bad results, they achieved a two-qubit gate fidelity—a critical value used to judge a quantum computer—of 99.78% out of an ideal 100%.

“We show that we can do a very competitive two-qubit gate,” says JILA postdoctoral researcher Alexander Baumgärtner, who is an author of the paper. “It's one of the best neutral atom two-qubit gates that has been shown so far.”

The researchers say they hope that moving forward, their approach will allow the fields of quantum computing, simulation and metrology to intermix and share ideas. For instance, using quantum simulation and computing to generate useful states for quantum measurements.

“What we showed in the paper is just the beginning,” Senoo says. “What I'm excited about is pushing this forward.”

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.

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Alexander Aeppli receives Deborah Jin thesis award

Daniel Packman — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:22:20 +0000

Alexander Aeppli receives Deborah Jin thesis award Daniel Packman Thu, 06/11/2026 - 09:22

Kirsten Apodaca / ��ñ�� Physics

Alexander Aeppli

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.

The Deborah Jin Award recognizes outstanding doctoral-level research in the areas of atomic, molecular or optical physics. Originally established in 1992, it was endowed and renamed in 2016 in honor of the late Deborah Jin, former JILA fellow and adjoint professor of physics at the ��ñ��, for her outstanding contributions to the field.

Aeppli was selected “for pioneering work that pushes the frontier of coherence times and measurement precision in optical lattice clocks,” according to the award citation.

“It’s a wonderful honor to receive this award in recognition of my PhD,” said Aeppli. “I have looked up to many of the past thesis prize winners, so joining their ranks is indeed humbling.”

Aeppli completed his doctoral research with Professor and JILA Fellow Jun Ye, whom he credits for providing “consistent guidance and support.” While this is nominally an individual award, Aeppli said it represents a collective effort.

“I would not have received this award if I did not have the support of this excellent department, the wealth of knowledge and community at JILA, and many brilliant mentors and peers,” he said.

Now working as a quantum engineer at Atom Computing, Aeppli is building quantum computers using many of the same techniques he learned during his PhD.

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A new kind of entanglement helps quantum sensors tune out noise

Daniel Packman — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:03:05 +0000

A new kind of entanglement helps quantum sensors tune out noise Daniel Packman Wed, 06/10/2026 - 14:03

Kirsten Apodaca / ��ñ�� Physics

In a quest to build the most accurate quantum sensors in the world, scientists are constantly improving their performance. Making them more precise. More stable and reliable.

But eventually, physical constraints will prevent further improvements.

“You cannot pack more atoms in a quantum sensor because at some point, they start colliding and disturbing each other, affecting the performance of the sensor,” says Ana Maria Rey, a JILA and NIST fellow and professor adjoint of physics at the ��ñ��.

Even the most precise sensors in the world are not fully isolated but subject to noise — subtle disturbances from the environment like vibrations, electromagnetic fields or temperature changes.

So, Rey along with JILA Fellow James K. Thompson and colleagues from the Niels Bohr Institute, the Joint Quantum Institute and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, asked; how can we improve the next generation of sensors despite these limitations?

One promising idea is to use quantum entanglement, so atoms are connected to each other and working together as a system. When atoms are entangled, they share properties even when separated by distance. In principle, this allows for more precise measurements. But entangled atoms are still subject to noise.

“Entangled states are well understood for estimating a single parameter, but our goal was to create an entangled state that is highly sensitive to a parameter difference between two nodes of a sensor network,” says Raphael Kaubruegger, a research associate at JILA.

The researchers set out to identify a new class of entangled state that could filter out noise affecting both sensors. They then developed two ways to create these states inside an optical cavity, a pair of mirrors about one inch apart that bounce photons back and forth. They describe the state and two methods to create it in a recent paper published in Physical Review X.

Lieb-Mattis state

Photon exchange through an optical cavity links two atomic ensembles, creating a shared entangled state. This entanglement is designed to be insensitive to common noise while remaining highly sensitive to differential signals.

The entangled state they identified uses decoherence-free subspaces which are protected from certain types of disturbances to quiet noise affecting both sensors.

Lasers are used to create coherent superposition between two internal states of an atom but to accomplish that, the laser’s frequency needs to exactly match the atomic transition.

The challenge, as Rey explains, is that even the most precise lasers cannot maintain a stable frequency for long enough. These laser frequency instabilities generate a noise which is equally experienced by both sensors and currently one of the most detrimental errors in state-of-the-artclocks. “Ideally, one would like to prepare the atoms in a state that is insensitive to this type of noise,” says Rey.

“The state we create is entanglement between these atoms, but in a way that you cannot distinguish which atom is in which ensemble,” says Rey. “They are fully symmetrized.”

“After the fact, we realized this was the same kind of state people were thinking about to describe antiferromagnets, or quantum magnets,” says James Thompson, JILA and NIST fellow and professor adjoint of physics.

In condensed matter physics, the Lieb-Mattis state describes a quantum version of an antiferromagnet, where two groups of atoms act like they point in opposite directions, but without the system picking one fixed direction in space.

A coherent and unitary approach

One method the team developed to prepare the desired state involves entangling two nodes of a sensor network by engineering a “spin exchange,” by having the atoms send photons back and forth through an optical cavity. This leads to a state where each atom in one node is perfectly anticorrelated with an atom in the other. If one atom is “up,” the other atom is “down.”

Thompson likens this approach to baseball, where each ensemble is a baseball team. The teams are throwing balls, or in this case photons, to each other. Every time a ball is thrown, the other team catches it. Thompson adds it’s important that we don’t know which player threw the ball or who caught it.

“That’s what builds these links,” says Thompson. “If a ball is thrown, it is definitely caught.”

The approach produces Heisenberg scaling, or the best possible precision scaling where all the atoms act as one quantum object.

Losing a photon is not all that bad

Optical cavities are not perfect. As Rey explains, sometimes you may lose a photon. The team’s second approach takes this into account.

Inside the optical cavity, photons can bounce back and forth between very reflective mirrors about 100,000 times before they accidentally slip through to the other side.

“We are losing photons, but the important part is that the photons are lost in a collective way,” says Rey.

Because it’s impossible to tell which atom is to blame, this can create entanglement — driving them into a state where they cannot lose more photons.

“At some point they get really good at not dropping the ball anymore,” says Thompson.

“They go into a ‘dark state,’ or a state where the phases of the emitted photons completely cancel out, leading to what it is known as destructive interference,” adds Rey.

What came as a surprise to the team, was initially they were trying to understand the detrimental effect of losing those photons. But as Rey explains, ultimately this type of dissipation actually led them to a state they wanted.

“The state we initially wanted to prepare was one in which half the atoms are excited, but the system cannot collectively emit a photon,” adds Kaubruegger.

Bridging theory with experiment for real-world applications

The team’s proposed states can be created quickly, and more importantly, faster as the system gets larger, making them practical for scaling quantum sensors.

“People have thought about this kind of state when you only have two atoms, which is cool, but you’d like to use more,” says Thompson. “It turns out, the more atoms you have, the better!”

By making quantum sensors more precise, these entangled states could one day help guide navigation when GPS is unavailable or reveal hidden underground resources such as minerals, oil, or gas.

Close collaborations between theorists and experimentalists have been key to this work. The groups inspire each other – and keep each other in check. Because they work so closely together, Kaubruegger says they have a deeper understanding of the challenges experimentalists face.

And now, the ball, so to speak, is in Thompson’s group’s hands; to demonstrate the state in experiment.

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.

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Jun Ye Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Steven Burrows — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 04:14:02 +0000

Jun Ye Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Steven Burrows Wed, 04/22/2026 - 22:14

Steven Burrows / JILA Science Communications Manager

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.

Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences honors excellence across the sciences, humanities, arts, and public affairs, and brings leaders together to address issues of national and global importance. Academy members span centuries of achievement, from early U.S. founders such as John Adams and Benjamin Franklin to generations of influential scientists, scholars, and public leaders. Today, the Academy includes more than 250 Nobel and Pulitzer Prize recipients.

Ye, who is also a professor of physics at the ��ñ�� and a physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will be formally welcomed at the Academy’s 2026 Induction Weekend this October in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His election reflects the high regard in which he is held by peers across the physics community and underscores JILA’s enduring leadership in fundamental and applied quantum research.

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Jun Ye Elected Corresponding Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences

Steven Burrows — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 18:11:48 +0000

Jun Ye Elected Corresponding Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Steven Burrows Mon, 04/20/2026 - 12:11

Steven Burrows / JILA Science Communications Manager

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.

Founded in 1847, the Austrian Academy of Sciences is the country’s leading non-university research institution and a prestigious learned society spanning the natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Election as a corresponding member abroad is reserved for distinguished scientists based outside Austria whose research excellence and leadership have shaped their field internationally.

Ye is widely recognized for pioneering advances in optical atomic clocks, precision measurement, and quantum many-body science. His work has set new benchmarks for timekeeping accuracy and has broad implications for fundamental physics, quantum technologies, and geodesy.

As part of the Academy’s 2026 elections, Ye has formally accepted the honor and will be welcomed at official OeAW events in Vienna later this year, including a ceremonial session for newly elected members. His election further highlights JILA’s strong tradition of international scientific leadership and collaboration.

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An Atomic Clock That Stays Cool and Can Rock and Roll Without Losing Time

Steven Burrows — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 15:07:45 +0000

An Atomic Clock That Stays Cool and Can Rock and Roll Without Losing Time Steven Burrows Thu, 04/09/2026 - 09:07

Bailey Bedford / Freelance Science Communicator

A new proposal shows how guiding atoms through a controlled loop of low-energy states using an additional atomic state and a second color of light can eliminate the heating that has long hindered superradiant atomic clocks. The design also makes the laser more robust to vibrations, as coordinated interactions among atoms help keep them synchronized even when the cavity is disturbed.

In popular culture, lasers are often portrayed as portable blasters that superheat whatever they hit. Some lasers do deliver tremendous amounts of energy in reality, but for scientists and engineers, lasers often need to do more than deliver just raw power. They need to deliver a very precise frequency—color—of light.

Precise lasers open many opportunities for experiments and technologies, notably atomic clocks, which offer the most precise timekeeping in the world. Atomic clocks are used in experiments, such as searches for dark matter, and they also make possible everyday technologies, like GPS. Currently, the most precise lasers, and therefore the most precise atomic clocks, are bulky and can be disrupted by small vibrations or changes in temperature, which limits their applications.

In an article published April 9, 2026, in the journal Physical Review Letters, JILA graduate student Jarrod Reilly proposed a new laser design that may allow for greater precision while making lasers more compact and robust. The design was developed along with JILA Fellows Murray Holland and John Cooper, as well as Simon Jäger—who was formerly a JILA postdoctoral researcher and is now an international collaborator at the University of Bonn in Germany. It builds on prior research they and their colleagues at JILA have performed, and their analysis indicated that it solves multiple problems that have limited past experiments. The improvements suggest a way that future atomic clocks can be both more precise and more convenient.

“Time and frequency are the two physical quantities that humans can measure the best,” Holland says. “This high sensitivity allows us to make measurements that are incredibly precise. Pushing it further opens up new domains where we could look farther than we've ever been able to look before.”

The new design is for a type of laser called a superradiant laser, and having a reliable superradiant laser is necessary to create a new type of compact atomic clock called an active atomic clock. Superradiant lasers that could enable active atomic clocks were first proposed by JILA researchers in 2009, and JILA researchers continue to refine the technology. Active atomic clocks use similar principles to standard atomic clocks but include some important tweaks.

Both traditional and active atomic clocks take advantage of the fact that atoms have quantum states which researchers can link together using light. Light comes in quantum packets that each carry a certain amount of energy that corresponds to its frequency—how quickly the light waves oscillate. An atom can be pushed from its initial state into a higher-energy state by hitting it with light of the right frequency. An atom with extra energy will sometimes release light to return to a lower-energy state. The consistent waves of light associated with a particular transition between chosen high- and low-energy atomic states can play a role similar to the steady swinging of a pendulum in a grandfather clock.

Traditional atomic clocks shine a laser on atoms and monitor when the atoms interact with the light at the correct frequency. An active atomic clock, instead, uses many atoms releasing light to create a laser with the desired frequency.

Making an active atomic clock requires getting all the atoms to work together to produce the superradiant laser. If too few atoms emit light at a time, nothing will be observed, and if different atoms simultaneously emit light in the wrong way, the resulting wave that is generated may lose coherence and become unusable.

To coordinate atoms, researchers put them in a special cavity where light bounces between two mirrors. The cavity maintains the frequency of light needed to interact with the atoms and encourages them to synchronize. The process resembles performers coordinating their dance steps by all listening to the same music.

In 2012, Holland collaborated with JILA Fellow James Thompson and demonstrated in experiments that superradiant lasers worked. But there was a hiccup: The process only worked for short periods at a time, and the laser ended up as a series of pulses, which couldn’t be used directly as an active atomic clock. The chamber coordinated the atoms releasing the desired frequency of light. However, when the atoms were put into the chosen energetic state, each atom emitted a small amount of extra light without any coordination. This unpredictable emission resulted in random motion that heated the atoms and eventually disrupted the synchronization needed for superradiance.

The new proposal suggests a method to eliminate the heating. Reilly, who is the first author of the paper, realized the atoms could be guided throughout the entire process and avoid the heating. Reilly observed that utilizing an additional state in the atom allows an experiment to use a different color of light to direct atoms through the troublesome step.

To make it work, he had to select an atom with two very similar states when the atom has as little energy as possible. Researchers can supply light to move the atoms between the two low-energy states. Then, placing the atoms in that additional low-energy state allows a second color of light to be introduced into a cavity that coordinates how the atoms move to the selected energetic state.

Now, the atoms are guided through more than the single dance step of producing the desired frequency. The experiment directs the atoms through a full loop of states, with a scientist controlling where all the energy goes. Each step is carefully managed, and the extra energy is predictably directed away from the atoms, where it can be easily handled.

The group used ideas from particle physics to develop a simulation of the quantum process that Reilly had identified. The simulation showed that the process should eliminate the heating that had previously prevented the creation of active atomic clocks using superradiant lasers.

“This heating rate should be so low that it would be easily manageable in a real apparatus,” Holland says.

But they went beyond eliminating the heating problem. They also discovered that the new design made the laser less sensitive to the shaking of the chamber than prior methods. The atoms didn’t just interact with the light in the cavity but with each other, like performers who can hear each other singing to the music. The new controlled transitions and extra light bouncing back and forth in the cavity should help the atoms interact and remain coordinated. If the cavity is slightly disrupted, it is like the music temporarily cutting out or being distorted, but the singing helps keep the performers coordinated nonetheless.

With increased coordination, the atoms should depend largely on synchronization with each other and less on the cavity, so shaking the cavity shouldn’t have much effect. The researchers used the simulation to show that there are certain ways to set up the experiment in which the frequency of the laser is not sensitive to vibrations of the cavity’s mirrors at all.

“What they're measuring in a clock is that frequency,” Reilly says. “The big-game-changer is that it becomes completely insensitive to vibrations, which people have spent 20 years trying to overcome. You could jump up and down next to the experiment, and in a regular clock, you'd see the color change, but you can jump up and down next to our clock and not see the color change. It should stay stable.”

The researchers also used their simulations to show that even when individual atoms fall out of sync with the others, it shouldn’t disrupt the superradiance—a known problem with some previous methods.

The team says they hope to see the proposal realized in an experiment, and they also want to combine their idea with another concept for the next generation of clocks: nuclear clocks. Nuclear clocks are similar to atomic clocks but use the quantum states of nuclei. The researchers believe their new superradiance technique could solve a lingering issue with nuclear clocks and provide a path to a new generation of unprecedentedly accurate timepieces.

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.

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JILA Graduate Student Anya Grafov Selected as Global Recipient of 2026 Zonta International Women in STEM Award

Steven Burrows — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:05:38 +0000

JILA Graduate Student Anya Grafov Selected as Global Recipient of 2026 Zonta International Women in STEM Award Steven Burrows Mon, 04/06/2026 - 10:05

Steven Burrows / JILA Science Communications Manager

Anya Grafov, a graduate student in the Kapteyn‑Murnane Group at JILA, has been selected as one of the global recipients of the 2026 Zonta International Women in STEM Award, an international honor that recognizes exceptional early‑career women for their achievements and leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Grafov was nominated through the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County and is one of 16 awardees selected worldwide.

“I am incredibly honored to share that I have been selected as one of the global recipients of the 2026 Zonta International Women in STEM Award,” Grafov said. “This recognition is a major milestone in my journey as a physicist.”

The Zonta Women in STEM Award celebrates women between the ages of 18 and 35 whose work demonstrates innovation, technical excellence, and meaningful contributions to advancing knowledge in STEM fields. International awardees each receive a $10,000 award and a complimentary one‑year supporting membership in Zonta International, reflecting Zonta’s mission to inspire future generations and foster inclusivity and diversity in STEM.

The award comes as Grafov enters the final stages of writing her doctoral thesis in ultrafast magnetism. She emphasized that the recognition extends beyond research alone. “More importantly, it reinforces my dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices and building spaces where every student can feel like they truly belong,” she said.

Reflecting on her experiences in physics, Grafov highlighted the importance of supportive research environments. “Having often navigated the isolation of being one of the only women in a male‑dominated field, I understand firsthand the importance of building inclusive communities,” she said.

Grafov expressed gratitude to Zonta International, the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County, and Zonta District 12, as well as to her mentors. “I am so proud to represent the physics community and look forward to connecting with the other recipients to create a more equitable future in STEM,” she said.

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.

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New proposal for using quantum error correction in metrology

Steven Burrows — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:16:31 +0000

New proposal for using quantum error correction in metrology Steven Burrows Sun, 03/22/2026 - 12:16

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.

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Micromechanical membranes can be quiet frequency sensors even at high amplitude

Cindy Regal — Sat, 21 Mar 2026 18:09:09 +0000

Micromechanical membranes can be quiet frequency sensors even at high amplitude Cindy Regal Sat, 03/21/2026 - 12:09

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.

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.

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New 'vacuum ultraviolet' laser may improve nanotechnology, power nuclear clocks

Steven Burrows — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 17:52:31 +0000

New 'vacuum ultraviolet' laser may improve nanotechnology, power nuclear clocks Steven Burrows Mon, 03/16/2026 - 11:52

Daniel Strain / ��ñ�� Strategic Communications

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.

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