About the Holland Group

Photo of Murray Holland.

Our quantum optics theory group primarily explores light-matter interactions in cold quantum gases, with a focus on quantum sensing, open quantum systems, and applying machine learning to quantum design problems. The group collaborates with experimentalists at JILA to develop quantum metrology platforms that utilize interparticle entanglement to sense with a quantum advantage. In addition, the group is part of NASA’s Quantum Pathways Institute to manufacture space-bound quantum-based instruments to be used for navigation and climate science. A focal point of our group's metrology research is utilizing Lie group symmetries to extend entanglement generation protocols to higher dimensional systems. The group also works on bad-cavity QED systems to help realize a continuous-wave superradiant laser that would have a coherence length stretching from the Earth to the Sun, which would help enable the development of active atomic clocks.

Research Areas

Stories About Our Research

  • The lattice beams intersect Bose-Einstein condensed atoms (red) over the angled internal optic. Although only a single probe beam (blue) is shown, probe beams are aligned to each axis of the lattice to enable imaging from any direction.

    Meet the JILA Postdoc and Graduate Student Leading the Charge in a Multi-Million-Dollar NASA-Funded Quantum Sensing Project

    In the quiet halls of the Duane Physics building at the University of Colorado Boulder, two JILA researchers, postdoctoral research associate Catie LeDesma and graduate student Kendall Mehling, combine machine learning with atom…
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  • Atoms inside of an optical cavity exchange their momentum states by "playing catch" with photons. As the atoms absorb photons from an applied laser, the whole cloud of atoms recoil rather than the individual atoms.

    Twisting and Binding Matter Waves with Photons in a Cavity

    Precisely measuring the energy states of individual atoms has been a historical challenge for physicists due to atomic recoil. When an atom interacts with a photon, the atom “recoils” in the opposite direction, making it difficult to…
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  • "Visualization of locating the optimal generator on a Bloch sphere. The color represents the QFI for the given generator."

    Making Use of Quantum Entanglement

    Quantum sensors help physicists understand the world better by measuring time passage, gravity fluctuations, and other effects at the tiniest scales. For example,  one quantum sensor, the LIGO gravitational wave detector, uses…
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Research Highlights

  • The lattice beams intersect Bose-Einstein condensed atoms (red) over the angled internal optic. Although only a single probe beam (blue) is shown, probe beams are aligned to each axis of the lattice to enable imaging from any direction.

    Meet the JILA Postdoc and Graduate Student Leading the Charge in a Multi-Million-Dollar NASA-Funded Quantum Sensing Project

    In the quiet halls of the Duane Physics building at the University of Colorado Boulder, two JILA researchers, postdoctoral research associate Catie LeDesma and graduate student Kendall Mehling, combine machine learning with atom…
    Read More

In the Spotlight

JILA Fellow and CU Physics Professor Murray Holland
: JILA Fellow Murray Holland awarded a Translational Quantum Research Seed Grant Administered by CU Boulder

CU Boulder has proudly announced the winners of its prestigious 2023-2024 Translational Quantum Research Seed Grants, a crucial step in fostering quantum science and technology innovation. This year's selection includes JILA Fellow Murray Holland, a distinguished figure in the field of quantum physics, who has been recognized for his groundbreaking project, "Developing a strontium optical lattice atom interferometer."


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"Visualization of locating the optimal generator on a Bloch sphere. The color represents the QFI for the given generator."
: JILA Researcher Jarrod Reilly highlighted in a New “Physics Magazine” Article

Leading the way in quantum sensing advancements, JILA, a renowned institute at the forefront of quantum sensing research, has once again proven its prowess. In a new Physics Magazine article, JILA graduate student Jarrod Reilly was highlighted in his work developing a groundbreaking approach that promises to redefine the capabilities of quantum sensors.


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From left to right: Murray Holland, (front) Catie Ledesma, (back) Kendall Mehling, (Front) Liang-Ying (former JILA graduate student), and Dana Anderson
: NASA Awards Grant to Group of Quantum Institutes Including JILA and the University of Colorado Boulder for Researching Quantum in Space

JILA (a world-leading physics research institute set up by NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder) is part of a multi-university research group that will build quantum-based tools for space-based Earth sensing.  NASA expects to award a $15 million grant for five years to the group of universities. This cohort includes researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, JILA, the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), the University of California Santa Barbara (USCB), the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and the U.S. National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). “The award establishes the Quantum Pathways Institute, supported by a NASA STRI (Space Technology Research Institute), led by Prof. Srinivas Bettadpur of the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, with CU and UCSB as collaborating institutions,” explained Dana Anderson, a JILA Fellow and CU Boulder professor who is involved in the project. The Quantum Pathways Institute is the first of its kind, as it strives to translate the capabilities of quantum physics into usable devices called “Quantum 2.0.” Besides these developments, the Institute will offer educational training for graduate students and postdocs in quantum theory and quantum experimentation.


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Part of logo for Murray Holland's research group
: Jarrod Reilly wins the Stephen Halley White Undergraduate Research Award

Jarrod Reilly, an undergraduate researcher in the Murray Holland Laboratory, wins the 2020 Stephen Halley White Undergraduate Research Award 


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More News 

JILA Address

We are located at JILA: A joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder.

Map | JILA Phone: 303-492-7789 | Address: 440 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309