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“This is a technology that was developed for something completely different—for creating better atomic clocks and other tools for quantum research,” said Greg Rieker, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at CU Boulder. “Now, we’re making an impact on climate change.”

At the invitation of JILA and NIST Fellow Eric Cornell, who has been a scientist at the institute since the 1990s, CU President Todd Saliman toured several laboratories at JILA last month. Saliman was impressed by the research team and Fellows. “You are all working to change the world,” he said.

In a new paper published in Physical Review X, JILA Fellow Adam Kaufman and his team have demonstrated that a specific isotope, mytterbium-171 (171Yb), can store quantum information in stable nuclear qubits—which allows for the ability to quickly manipulate the qubits and produce them in large, uniformly filled arrays.

In a joint study, Jun Ye's and Ana Maria Rey's research groups established an experimental setting where they successfully observed Pauli blocking of spontaneous emission by direct measurements of an atom's excited state population. The results have been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

To recognize World Quantum Day on April 14, organized by scientists around the world to raise awareness of the field, CU Boulder Today talked with three graduate students about what the future holds for quantum physics and how quantum discoveries have already fueled the modern, digital age.

As World Quantum Day was celebrated by the scientific community, JILA honored their scientists and teams—around 75% of whom study quantum phenomena—and the discoveries that have helped make JILA a world leader in the field. The institute looks forward to what quantum may hold for our future.

The panel, titled "Women in Quantum: What Does It Take," featured researchers, engineers and physicists from ColdQuanta, Maybell Quantum, Quantinuum and Vescent. Together, they discussed the state of the industry and showcased the rich quantum ecosystem within Colorado.

JILA researchers recently demonstrated that when an array of multi-level atoms is placed in an optical cavity, the atoms can all cooperate and collectively suppress their emission of light. This "quantum dark state" is inherently entangled, a property that makes it even more attractive for future quantum technologies.

The group from CUbit included Philip Makotyn, executive director of CUbit, and Joshua Combes, associate professor of photonics and quantum engineering at CU Boulder. The visit symbolized an important step in beginning discussions between the Air Force Academy and the Colorado quantum ecosystem.

CU Boulder’s high-impact physics research and education will receive additional funding as part of the recently passed $1.5T federal omnibus bill. The funding will pay for much-needed research equipment in the JILA instrument and electronics shops, as well as the Keck Metrology and Clean Room Core Facility.