JILA postdoctoral researcher Simon Scheidegger (right) stands with physicist Hugo Lehmann to receive the prestigious 2024 METAS Award
JILA postdoctoral researcher Simon Scheidegger has received the prestigious METAS 2024 Award from the Swiss Physical Society (SPS). Scheidegger, who is part of JILA and NIST Fellow Jun Ye's laboratory group, was awarded for his pioneering research on precise measurements of hydrogen energy levels during his PhD at ETH Zurich.
“I’m deeply honored to receive now an award from the Swiss Physical Society and METAS for my work,” Scheidegger stated.
Scheidegger's research involved using a unique, focused beam of hydrogen atoms to make the measurements more accurate and applying a carefully controlled electric field to better observe highly excited states of the atoms. These methods helped him measure the energy levels in hydrogen atoms with incredible precision, which led to a new understanding of the proton's size and improved determination of a key number in atomic physics called the Rydberg constant.
In presenting the award at the Annual Meeting of the Swiss Physical Society, physicist Hugo Lehmann praised Scheidegger's work in a later LinkedIn post: “Measuring one of the most fundamental constants of atomic physics to an unprecedented precision and gaining new insights into the size of the proton in a PhD thesis? Unbelievable, but that’s exactly what Simon Scheidegger achieved."
The METAS Award, sponsored by the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS), highlights Scheidegger’s use of an optical frequency-dissemination network integral to his precise measurements. His findings were published in Physical Review Letters and also highlighted as a research feature in Nature.
Reflecting on the award, Scheidegger stated, “During my doctoral studies, I had the privilege to be one of the first users of an optical SI-traceable frequency provided by METAS, distributed through an over 220-km-long optical fiber network in Switzerland.”
Scheidegger’s work contributes to resolving the proton-size puzzle and sets a new benchmark for precision in atomic measurements. His success continues the tradition of excellence at JILA, inspiring future innovations in metrology and quantum science.
Written by Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, JILA Science Communicator