Vortex lattice in a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate.

Credit: the Cornell group

Researchers in nanoscience explore the ultrasmall world - ultracold atoms, quantum dots, molecules, semiconductors, electronic devices, and surface-based chemical reactions. These things have dimensions that are measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter — the size of a few atoms. Nanosized systems are so small that researchers must not only figure out how to create them, but also determine how they are affected by the laws of quantum mechanics. JILA's diverse nanoscience research encompasses investigations of semiconductors, attosecond nanoscale probes of molecules & materials, quantum dots, innovative technologies for nanoscience research, quantum devices, and model systems for studying nanoscale science & technology. JILA researchers are looking for answers to such questions as:

• Can we create devices that use electron spins or quantum mechanical behavior to encode information?
• Can we probe exciton scattering in semiconductor quantum wells to test fundamental theories of physics?
• Can we control ultrafast thermal and electronic responses in atoms, molecules, and materials with nanometer resolution?
• Can we build sensors based on biomolecules?
• How can we overcome the inherent difficulty of observing rapid dynamical motions that take place in nanoscale devices?
• Can Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) systems model nanoscale electronic, atomic, and molecular interactions?