About the Thompson Group

James K. Thompson photo.

Our lab explores two frontiers of quantum science: quantum simulation and quantum sensing.  We do this in four different experiments using laser-cooled strontium and rubidium atoms trapped between highly reflective mirrors.  Light-matter interactions create correlations and entanglement between thousands to millions of atoms.  We use all aspects of quantum mechanics:  unitary dynamics, the quantum measurement process, and dissipation. Explore the different projects below to learn more about dynamical phase transitions, entangled matterwave interferometers, and superradiant lasers. 

 

Research Areas

Rb: Entanglement & Matterwaves
Rubidium experiment figure.

Learn how we create some of the most entangled states in the world and how we have realized the first entangled matterwave interferometer that operates with a phase resolution below the Standard Quantum Limit 

Sr: Continuous Superradiant Laser
Strontium in ring cavity for superradiant laser

Learn how we are working to realize an ultra-stable continuous superradiant laser for probing the universe more precisely.

Sr: Quantum Many-body Physics
Dynamical phase transition figure.

Learn about our quantum many-body simulator realized by cavity-mediated interactions.

Rb: Small Cavities Experiment
Atom-Cavity system

Learn how we are working to make hot atoms and light cooperate.

Stories About Our Research

  • Making a Leap by Using “Another State to Entangle”

    Schematic of the multi-level atomic array structure used in this study

    Interactions between atoms and light rule the behavior of our physical world, but, at the same time, can be extremely complex. Understanding and harnessing them is one of the major challenges for the development of quantum technologies…
    Read More

  • To Measure or Not to Measure, but Dynamically Evolve—That is the Question

    A scale with two different cavities on it

    In the world of quantum technology, measuring with extreme accuracy is key.  Despite impressive developments, state-of-the-art matter-wave interferometers and clocks still operate with collections of independent atoms, and the…
    Read More

  • Twisting and Binding Matter Waves with Photons in a Cavity

    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.

    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…
    Read More

  • B-C-S—Easy as I, II, III: Unveiling Dynamic Superconductivity

    Researchers observed the dynamic phases of BCS superconductor interactions in a Cavity QED by measuring the light leakage from the cavity.

    In physics, scientists have been fascinated by the mysterious behavior of superconductors—materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance when cooled to extremely low temperatures. Within these superconducting systems,…
    Read More

  • The Tale of Two Clocks: Advancing the Precision of Timekeeping

    A photo of the atomic clock setup complete with the bisecting cavity.

    Historically, JILA (a joint institute established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder) has been a world leader in precision timekeeping using optical atomic clocks. These…
    Read More

  • Entangled Pairs Get Sensitive Very Fast

    A representation of bosonic pair creation, which creates an entangled state between atoms

    The best clock in the world has no hands, no pendulum, no face or digital display. It is made of ultra-cold atoms trapped by light.  This atomic clock is so precise that, had it begun ticking when Earth formed billions of years ago…
    Read More

  • An Entangled Matter-wave Interferometer: Now with Double the Spookiness!

    A rendering of the entangled atoms within the interferometer

    JILA and NIST Fellow James K. Thompson’s team of researchers have for the first time successfully combined two of the “spookiest” features of quantum mechanics to make a better quantum sensor:  entanglement between atoms and…
    Read More

  • Running in a Quantum Corn Maze and Getting Stuck in the Dark

    Comparison of 2-level and 6-level atom decay paths. For 6-level systems, each state can potentially decay into several states and some of them might be dark due to destructive interference.

    Light is emitted when an atom decays from an excited state to a lower energy ground state, with the emitted photon carrying away the energy.  The spontaneous emission of light is a fundamental process that originates from the…
    Read More

  • A Magic Recipe for a Quantum Interferometer

    A comparison of two optical cavities, with the left cavity having only localized atoms and no squeezing. In contrast, the right cavity depicts delocalized atoms, squeezing and entanglement.

    Gravimetry, or the measurement of the strength of a gravitational field (or gravitational acceleration), has been of great interest to physicists since the 1600s. One of the most precise ways to measure gravitational acceleration is to…
    Read More

  • BCS: Building a Cavity Superconductor

    Model of an optical cavity

    The idea of quantum simulation has only become more widely researched in the past few decades. Quantum simulators allow for the study of a quantum system that would be difficult to study easily and quickly in a laboratory or model with…
    Read More

  • Phases on the Move: A Quantum Game of Catch

    Phase transitions in a dynamic system

    The world is out-of-equilibrium, and JILA scientists are trying to learn what rules govern the dynamic systems that make our universe so complex and beautiful, from black holes to our living bodies.


    Read More

  • Twisting Atoms to Push Quantum Limits

    Thumbnail

    The chaos within a black hole scrambles information. Gravity tugs on time in tiny, discrete steps. A phantom-like presence pervades our universe, yet evades detection. These intangible phenomena may seem like mere conjectures of science…
    Read More

  • A Little Less Spontaneous

    Thumbnail

    A large fraction of JILA research relies on laser cooling of atoms, ions and molecules for applications as diverse as world-leading atomic clocks, human-controlled chemistry, quantum information, new forms of ultracold matter and the…
    Read More

  • Lassoing Colors with Atomic Cowpokes

    Thumbnail

    Getting lasers to have a precise single frequency (color) can be trickier than herding cats. So it’s no small accomplishment that the Thompson group has figured out how to use magnetic fields to create atomic cowpokes to wrangle a…
    Read More

  • The Quantum Identity Crisis

    Thumbnail

    Dynamical phase transitions in the quantum world are wildly noisy and chaotic. They don’t look anything like the phase transitions we observe in our everyday world. In Colorado, we see phase transitions caused by temperature changes all…
    Read More

  • Quantum Entanglement

    Thumbnail

    The spooky quantum property of entanglement is set to become a powerful tool in precision measurement, thanks to researchers in the Thompson group. Entanglement means that the quantum states of something physical—two atoms, two…
    Read More

  • The Heart of Darkness

    Thumbnail

    When the Thompson group first demonstrated its innovative “superradiant” laser the team noticed that sometimes the amount of light emitted by the laser would…
    Read More

  • The Entanglement Tango

    Thumbnail

    Most scientists think it is really hard to correlate, or entangle, the quantum spin states of many particles in an ultracold gas of fermions. Fermions are particles like electrons (and some atoms and molecules) whose quantum spin states…
    Read More

  • The Laser with Perfect Pitch

    Thumbnail

    The Thompson group, with theory help from the Holland group, recently demonstrated a superradiant laser that escapes the “echo chamber” problem that limits the best lasers. To understand this problem, imagine an opera singer practicing…
    Read More

  • Sayonara Demolition Man

    Thumbnail

    The secret for reducing quantum noise in a precision measurement of spins in a collection of a million atoms is simple: Pre-measure the quantum noise, then subtract it out at the end of the precision measurement. The catch is not to do…
    Read More

Research Highlights

  • Schematic of the multi-level atomic array structure used in this study

    Making a Leap by Using “Another State to Entangle”

    Interactions between atoms and light rule the behavior of our physical world, but, at the same time, can be extremely complex. Understanding and harnessing them is one of the major challenges for the development of quantum technologies…
    Read More

  • A scale with two different cavities on it

    To Measure or Not to Measure, but Dynamically Evolve—That is the Question

    In the world of quantum technology, measuring with extreme accuracy is key.  Despite impressive developments, state-of-the-art matter-wave interferometers and clocks still operate with collections of independent atoms, and the…
    Read More

  • 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…
    Read More

  • Researchers observed the dynamic phases of BCS superconductor interactions in a Cavity QED by measuring the light leakage from the cavity.

    B-C-S—Easy as I, II, III: Unveiling Dynamic Superconductivity

    In physics, scientists have been fascinated by the mysterious behavior of superconductors—materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance when cooled to extremely low temperatures. Within these superconducting systems,…
    Read More

  • A photo of the atomic clock setup complete with the bisecting cavity.

    The Tale of Two Clocks: Advancing the Precision of Timekeeping

    Historically, JILA (a joint institute established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder) has been a world leader in precision timekeeping using optical atomic clocks. These…
    Read More

  • A representation of bosonic pair creation, which creates an entangled state between atoms

    Entangled Pairs Get Sensitive Very Fast

    The best clock in the world has no hands, no pendulum, no face or digital display. It is made of ultra-cold atoms trapped by light.  This atomic clock is so precise that, had it begun ticking when Earth formed billions of years ago…
    Read More

  • A rendering of the entangled atoms within the interferometer

    An Entangled Matter-wave Interferometer: Now with Double the Spookiness!

    JILA and NIST Fellow James K. Thompson’s team of researchers have for the first time successfully combined two of the “spookiest” features of quantum mechanics to make a better quantum sensor:  entanglement between atoms and…
    Read More

  • Comparison of 2-level and 6-level atom decay paths. For 6-level systems, each state can potentially decay into several states and some of them might be dark due to destructive interference.

    Running in a Quantum Corn Maze and Getting Stuck in the Dark

    Light is emitted when an atom decays from an excited state to a lower energy ground state, with the emitted photon carrying away the energy.  The spontaneous emission of light is a fundamental process that originates from the…
    Read More

  • A comparison of two optical cavities, with the left cavity having only localized atoms and no squeezing. In contrast, the right cavity depicts delocalized atoms, squeezing and entanglement.

    A Magic Recipe for a Quantum Interferometer

    Gravimetry, or the measurement of the strength of a gravitational field (or gravitational acceleration), has been of great interest to physicists since the 1600s. One of the most precise ways to measure gravitational acceleration is to…
    Read More

  • Model of an optical cavity

    BCS: Building a Cavity Superconductor

    The idea of quantum simulation has only become more widely researched in the past few decades. Quantum simulators allow for the study of a quantum system that would be difficult to study easily and quickly in a laboratory or model with…
    Read More

  • Phase transitions in a dynamic system

    Phases on the Move: A Quantum Game of Catch

    The world is out-of-equilibrium, and JILA scientists are trying to learn what rules govern the dynamic systems that make our universe so complex and beautiful, from black holes to our living bodies.


    Read More
  • Thumbnail

    Twisting Atoms to Push Quantum Limits

    The chaos within a black hole scrambles information. Gravity tugs on time in tiny, discrete steps. A phantom-like presence pervades our universe, yet evades detection. These intangible phenomena may seem like mere conjectures of science…
    Read More

  • Thumbnail

    A Little Less Spontaneous

    A large fraction of JILA research relies on laser cooling of atoms, ions and molecules for applications as diverse as world-leading atomic clocks, human-controlled chemistry, quantum information, new forms of ultracold matter and the…
    Read More

  • Thumbnail

    Lassoing Colors with Atomic Cowpokes

    Getting lasers to have a precise single frequency (color) can be trickier than herding cats. So it’s no small accomplishment that the Thompson group has figured out how to use magnetic fields to create atomic cowpokes to wrangle a…
    Read More

  • Thumbnail

    The Quantum Identity Crisis

    Dynamical phase transitions in the quantum world are wildly noisy and chaotic. They don’t look anything like the phase transitions we observe in our everyday world. In Colorado, we see phase transitions caused by temperature changes all…
    Read More

  • Thumbnail

    Quantum Entanglement

    The spooky quantum property of entanglement is set to become a powerful tool in precision measurement, thanks to researchers in the Thompson group. Entanglement means that the quantum states of something physical—two atoms, two…
    Read More

  • Thumbnail

    The Heart of Darkness

    When the Thompson group first demonstrated its innovative “superradiant” laser the team noticed that sometimes the amount of light emitted by the laser would…
    Read More

  • Thumbnail

    The Entanglement Tango

    Most scientists think it is really hard to correlate, or entangle, the quantum spin states of many particles in an ultracold gas of fermions. Fermions are particles like electrons (and some atoms and molecules) whose quantum spin states…
    Read More

  • Thumbnail

    The Laser with Perfect Pitch

    The Thompson group, with theory help from the Holland group, recently demonstrated a superradiant laser that escapes the “echo chamber” problem that limits the best lasers. To understand this problem, imagine an opera singer practicing…
    Read More

  • Thumbnail

    Sayonara Demolition Man

    The secret for reducing quantum noise in a precision measurement of spins in a collection of a million atoms is simple: Pre-measure the quantum noise, then subtract it out at the end of the precision measurement. The catch is not to do…
    Read More

In the Spotlight

Lab photo.
: JILA Alumnus Dr. Matthew Norcia is Awarded the IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize in Atomic, Molecular And Optical Physics 2024

Dr. Matthew Norcia, a member of JILA’s extensive alumni network, has been awarded the prestigious 2024 International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) Early Career Scientist Prize in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. The IUPAP Early Career Scientist Prize honors early career physicists for their exceptional contributions within specific subfields, offering recognition through a certificate, medal, and monetary award.


Read More
Heising-Simons Foundation Awards $3 Million for Informing Gravity Theory
: JILA and the University of Colorado Boulder Lead Pioneering Quantum Gravity Research with Heising-Simons Foundation Grant

The Heising-Simons Foundation's Science program has announced a generous grant of $3 million over three years, aimed at bolstering theoretical and experimental research efforts to bridge the realms of Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) physics with quantum gravity theories. Among the recipients, a notable grant was awarded to a multi-investigator collaboration spearheaded by the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) and JILA, a joint institute of CU Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 


Read More
Photo of Ran Brynn Reiff, Julia Cline, and Tyler McMaken
: Tyler McMaken, Ran Brynn Reiff, and Julia Cline all win 2020 CU Physics awards

JILA graduate students Tyler McMaken, Ran Brynn Reiff, and Julia Cline all win the 2020 CU Physics Department TA awards 


Read More
JILA building
: New $115 Million Quantum Systems Accelerator to Pioneer Quantum Technologies for Discovery Science

A new national quantum research center draws on JILA Fellows' and their expertise to make the United States an international leader in quantum technology.


Read More

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