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Using a new method called "quantum squeezing," researchers at JILA may have found a potential explanation for dark matter in the form of a new particle called an axion, which were likely created during the Big Bang in humungous numbers.

Rahul Nandkishore, associate professor of physics at CU Boulder, is one of five theoretical physicists nationwide to win this honor. He plans to use his sabbatical year to make new breakthroughs in many-body quantum mechanics.

Writing for The Conversation, Benjamin Brubaker—a CU Boulder physics postdoc and a collaborator on HAYSTAC—describes how he and his colleagues used a bit of quantum trickery to double the rate at which their detector can search for dark matter.

The ability to control chemical reactions in stable quantum gases could enable the design of novel chemicals and gases, new platforms for quantum computers using molecules as information-rich qubits (quantum bits), and new tools for precision measurement such as molecular clocks.

In order for new quantum devices to work well, scientists need to be able to control and manipulate atoms as precisely as possible. Using optical tweezers, Aaron Young, along with other members of the Kaufman and Ye groups at JILA, have reached record-setting coherence times of more than half a minute.

"Albert"—ColdQuanta’s quantum-matter system on the cloud—allows users to remotely cool atoms to near absolute zero to create a state of matter in which “quantum-mechanical behavior comes into play on a large scale.” Users can control, study and even photograph “the wavefunction of a quantum cloud of atoms."

The Micius Quantim Prize recognizes recognizes significant scientific advances ranging from early conceptual contributions to recent experimental breakthroughs. The 2020 prize has been awarded to Jun Ye for his groundbreaking achievements in precision quantum measurements.

Charles Tahan, Assistant Director for Quantum Information Science at the White House OSTP—as well as the director of the National Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO)—featured Q-SEnSE in the Dec. 3 edition of "Letters from the NQCO Director," spotlighting its leadership in quantum sensing.

JILA Fellow Cindy Regal has been named the first recipient of the Baur-SPIE Endowed Chair in Optics and Photonics, JILA's first-ever endowed chair position. Regal's group at JILA pursues a wide range of research in optics and photonics, particularly employing lasers to control and probe quantum objects.

Scientists believe we are living in the Second Quantum Revolution, a period of rapid advances in technology based on discoveries in quantum science. Companies from IBM and Google to small startups are eager to create and perfect these new technologies—and that requires training a new kind of workforce.