News

The Optics and Photonics Research Group at CU Boulder, led by Professor Juliet Gopinath (Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering), has recently demonstrated meaningful advances in fiber-based, quantum-enhanced remote sensing and probing of photosensitive materials.

This new quantum focus in the research alliance between Lockheed Martin and CU Boulder represents the latest extension of this longstanding, wide-ranging relationship, which was expanded when the organizations entered into a Master Research Agreement in 2019.

JILA Fellow Margaret Murnane has been selected as a recipient of the 2022 Institute of Physics Isaac Newton Medal and Prize. This prestigious award honors the legacy of the famous physicist Sir Isaac Newton, by commending those who have made world-leading contributions in the field of physics.

As described in their paper recently published in Nature, the Thompson group at JILA has combined the spookiness of both entanglement and delocalization to realize a matter-wave interferometer that can sense accelerations with a precision that surpasses the standard quantum limit for the first time.

A series of buzzing, bee-like “loop-currents” could explain a recently discovered, never-before-seen phenomenon in a type of quantum material. The findings from researchers at CU Boulder may one day help engineers develop new kinds of devices, such as quantum sensors or the quantum equivalent of computer memory storage devices.

JILA and NIST Fellows Jun Ye and Ana Maria Rey have engineered a new atomic clock design together with their teams—one which demonstrates a better theoretical understanding and experimental control of atomic interactions, leading to a breakthrough in achievable precision.

The $10K prize, awarded in odd-numbered years, recognizes influential early-career research in the fields of AMO physics. Kaufman’s groundbreaking work using optical tweezers and other tools to study interactions at the quantum level was cited in the prize letter from the American Physical Society.

CU Boulder and NIST researchers will be better able to coordinate their efforts with the recent opening of the QEI Collaboration Lab on Sept. 26. This new 1,500 square foot space in the Engineering Center will encourage cross-campus research and experiments in the high-impact field of quantum engineering.

Physicist Adam Kaufman of both JILA and NIST has been awarded the 2023 New Horizons in Physics Prize from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation for his work in advancing the control of atoms and molecules to improve atomic clocks and quantum information processing.

The latest Silicon Valley startup to expand into Colorado, and a CUbit Innovation Partner, Atom already has deep connections with CU Boulder. "It is extremely gratifying to see our recent CU graduates emerge as the early trailblazers of the rapidly growing quantum industry,” said JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye.