Browse Physics

In a new regime for atomic clocks, strong interactions between atoms dramatically increase the clock’s coherence time.

Early results from the Linac Coherent Light Source expose the inner dynamics of molecules during ionization with ultrashort x-ray pulses.

Forces on an atom from a fiber less than an optical wavelength in diameter may provide answers in quantum optics.

Simulations address whether magnetic ordering is achievable with cold atoms in optical lattices.

Researchers propose a new scheme for laser cooling in the strong-coupling regime that is orders of magnitude faster than methods limited by the trap frequency.

Electromagnetically induced transparency produced by dark states in an artificial atom might find use as a switchable microwave mirror.

Vibrations of the atoms in a molecule are used to implement a Fourier transform orders of magnitude faster than possible with devices based on conventional electronics.

A well-known model in condensed matter physics has now been applied to ultracold atoms in an optical lattice.

Researchers have constructed a new high accuracy optical clock based on quantum spectroscopy of an aluminum ion.

Improved optical techniques may permit direct cooling of molecules to form ultracold gases, instead of cooling the atoms first.

Ultrafast optical probing of an ionized molecule with different pulse durations reveals details of the dynamics of vibrational excitations.

Calculations show that with new short pulse x-ray light sources, it should be possible to use photoelectron emission to make movies of changes in molecular structure.

Dispersive probing of an atomic transition decreases the “dead time” of optical atomic clocks, potentially enabling more stable time reference standards.

Loading cold atoms into a hollow-core optical fiber enables all-optical switching with just several hundred photons.

Calculations reveal that a dense cloud of cold atoms pumped with lasers can glow with its own laser light. Such ‘random lasers’ have previously been made only from solid and liquid materials.

Lasers can make an opaque material transparent, but to determine how long this state survives, you have to shut off the lights.

Successive and rapid measurements of a quantum system can prevent it from evolving in time. This quantum Zeno effect has now been demonstrated for light inside a cavity.

Researchers have extracted electrons from atoms in a controlled way using sub-femtosecond light pulses. They also imaged the electrons’ quantum states with unprecedented clarity.

A laser beam might be 100 million times wider than an atom, but the atom still ‘knows’ the beam isn’t infinite. The effect could be important for some ultraprecise measurements.

A new class of materials that cools in response to laser light could one day help microchips and other devices run faster and more reliably.