Browse Physics

A newly-developed “quantum microscope” uses photoionization and an electrostatic magnifying lens to directly observe the electron orbitals of an excited hydrogen atom.

Cylindrically shaped trap allows Bose-Einstein condensate to move freely in all three directions.

Atom interferometry may enable ways to measure gravitational waves without the destructive influence of laser fluctuations.

A magnetometer based on laser measurements of atomic energy levels can detect a magnetic field one hundred billion times smaller than the Earth’s.

The LiHe van der Waals molecule has been produced and spectroscopically detected and its binding energy found to only suffice to stabilize a single rotationless vibrational state.

Defects in diamond could be used to engineer portable timekeeping devices as precise as modern atomic clocks, according to a new theoretical proposal.

A theoretical model finds that atoms can organize themselves into a regularly spaced row when trapped between a pair of nanosized optical fibers.

Two separate groups demonstrate the temporary storage and subsequent release of photons using very different quantum devices.

Atom interferometry in free fall demonstrates fundamental quantum physics and a new level of technology readiness for future experiments in space.

A new experiment reveals the different dynamics of particles and holes in ultracold fermionic gases in an optical lattice, opening the way to investigate condensed matter transport phenomena such as photoconductivity via quantum optical systems.

A tiny cavity made from two optical fibers—previously used only with neutral atoms—strengthens the interaction between an ion and a photon, an important step toward quantum computers and networks.

A torus of trapped cold atoms could be used as a rotation sensor.

Light stored in a Bose-Einstein condensate can be manipulated with light to create an optical AND gate.

Light pulses with few optical cycles and defined carrier-envelope phase can induce selective photofragmentation of molecules on the attosecond timescale.

Field patterns produced near nanoparticles could allow closely spaced traps for ultracold atoms.

Measurements of the heat capacity in two-dimensional helium-$3$ adsorbed on graphite provide further evidence of an unexpected liquid state at temperatures near absolute zero.

The demonstration of a single-particle interferometer opens the door to a number of applications, from investigations of gravity to surface impact physics.

Individual neutral atoms trapped in optical tweezers have been cooled to their quantum ground state, raising hopes that they can be used to process quantum information.

An analog of the dynamical Casimir effect has been achieved, where phonons replace photons and thermal fluctuations replace vacuum fluctuations.

In laser metrology, adding additional laser pulses, separated in time from the first, suppresses energy line shifts and allows for even more precision.