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Flipping an Egg Carton of Light Traps Giant Atoms

By Guest PostDecember 27, 2011Scienceadvanced applications, airport scanners, egg carton, electrons, georg raithel, kelly younge, laser beams, laser light, lattice hills, optical lattice, quantum computing, rydberg atoms, sarah anderson, solve a problem, terahertz imaging, trapping efficiency, unique way, university of michigan

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— In an egg carton of laser light, University of Michigan physicists can trap giant Rydberg atoms with up to 90 percent efficiency, an achievement that could advance quantum computing and terahertz imaging, among other applications.

Highly excited Rydberg atoms can be 1,000 times larger than their ground state counterparts. Nearly ionized, they cling to faraway electrons almost beyond their reach. Trapping them efficiently is an important step in realizing their potential, the researchers say.

Here’s how they did it: (more…)

Quantum Quirk: JILA Scientists Pack Atoms Together to Prevent Collisions in Atomic Clock

In a paradox typical of the quantum world, JILA scientists have eliminated collisions between atoms in an atomic clock by packing the atoms closer together. The surprising discovery, described in the Feb. 3 issue of Science Express, can boost the performance of experimental atomic clocks made of thousands or tens of thousands of neutral atoms trapped by intersecting laser beams

JILA is jointly operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Colorado Boulder. (more…)

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Flipping an Egg Carton of Light Traps Giant Atoms

Quantum Quirk: JILA Scientists Pack Atoms Together to Prevent Collisions in Atomic Clock