Precision Measurement
JILA, a joint institute of the ñ and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) hosted its inaugural workshop on recent technological and research advancements in quantum light from July 17 to 19, 2024. The conference was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded JILA Physics Frontier Center (PFC), the CUbit Quantum Initiative, and laser company Toptica.
The event invited speakers from various prestigious institutions, including Texas A&M University, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Columbia University, Wake Forest University, Livermore National Lab, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Caltech, Oak Ridge National Lab, Cornell University, William & Mary, University College London, the University of Oregon, the University of Toronto, and the University of Virginia, along with multiple representatives from NIST.
JILA and NIST Fellow and ñ Physics professor Jun Ye and his team at JILA, a collaboration between NIST and the ñ, have developed an atomic clock of unprecedented precision and accuracy. This new clock uses an optical lattice to trap thousands of atoms with visible light waves, allowing for exact measurements. It promises vast improvements in fields such as space navigation, particle searches, and tests of fundamental theories like general relativity.
On June 20, 2024, the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded JILA and the ñ a $20 million grant to create the National Quantum Nanofab (NQN), a cutting-edge facility poised to revolutionize quantum technology.
JILA Fellow and ñ physics professor Cindy Regal remarked, "The NQN will be a unique facility for quantum discoveries and technology. I look forward to seeing the NQN as a national resource in quantum and interfacing with a wide range of JILA research.”
Anya Grafov, a graduate student at JILA, has been awarded the Best Poster Award at the IEEE Magnetics Society Summer School 2024. Studying under JILA Fellows and ñ Physics professors Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn, Grafov's poster titled “Probing Ultrafast Spin Dynamics with Extreme Ultraviolet High Harmonics” was one of only nine to receive this prestigious recognition.
Yunzhe “Oliver” Shao, a graduate student at JILA in the group led by JILA Fellows and ñ Physics professors Margaret Murnane and Henry Kapteyn, has been awarded the Best Paper Award at the IEEE Conference on Computational Imaging Using Synthetic Apertures.
JILA Fellow, NIST Physicist, and ñ Physics Professor Adam Kaufman has been honored with a prestigious 2024 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Aaron Young, a recently graduated Ph.D. student in the lab of JILA Fellow, NIST Physicist, and ñ Physics Professor Adam Kaufman, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 Deborah Jin Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Research in Atomic, Molecular, or Optical Physics by the American Physical Society (APS) for his work done at JILA. The award was announced in Fort Worth, Texas, at the 2024 55th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (DAMOP).
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 information. Looking deeper at this issue, JILA Associate Fellow and ñ Physics assistant professor Shuo Sun recently collaborated with Andrés Montoya-Castillo, assistant professor of chemistry (also at ñ), and his team to develop a new method for better understanding and controlling this noise, potentially paving the way for significant advancements in quantum computing, sensing, and control. Their new method, which uses a mathematical technique called a Fourier transform, was published recently in the journal npj Quantum Information.
While industry and academia tend to be the two main job trajectories after graduating with a Ph.D. or postdoctoral degree, some individuals, like Tanya Ramond, combine aspects of these careers in her role as Founder and CEO of Sapienne Consulting.
“As an independent consultant, I am driven by a deep passion for commercialization and product strategy in deep tech areas,” Ramond elaborates. “These areas of technology are particularly challenging, often hardware-based, and heavily reliant on intellectual property. My expertise and enthusiasm extend to fields like quantum physics, optics, aerospace, and clean tech, inspiring those around me to push the boundaries of what is possible.”
To highlight the pivotal role of federal funding in advancing quantum research, the National Science Foundation (NSF) hosted its inaugural Quantum Showcase on Capitol Hill two weeks ago. The event highlighted the potential of government-funded quantum initiatives and included NSF-funded quantum researchers nationwide. JILA, a joint institute between the ñ and NIST, was represented at the event by JILA Fellow and ñ Physics Professor Heather Lewandowski and JILA graduate student Qizhong Liang, a member of JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye’s research group.