For experiments that require ultra-precise measurements and control over atoms—think two-photon atomic clocks, cold-atom interferometer sensors and quantum gates—lasers are the technology of choice, ...

Physicists have been hoping for this moment for a long time: For many years, scientists all around the world have been searching for a very specific state of thorium atomic nuclei that promises ...

For the first time, the state of an atomic nucleus was switched with a laser. For decades, physicists have been looking for such a nuclear transition -- now it has been found. This opens up a new ...

The time is nigh for nuclear clocks. In a first, scientists have used a tabletop laser to bump an atomic nucleus into a higher energy state. It’s a feat that sets scientists on a path toward creating ...

Light is incredibly useful in daily life. We use light to see objects and determine details about them. Light is similarly valuable in probing the quantum world. It is often critical for both ...

Researchers in the US and Germany have unveiled a theoretical blueprint for an atomic clock driven by a highly synchronized laser, where atoms work in concert rather than independently. Publishing ...

Scientists in Germany have uncovered previously unknown properties of the rare Earth element samarium by developing a powerful new technique to investigate the internal structure of atoms. For the ...

Distributed feedback (DFB) lasers employ a periodic grating within or adjacent to the gain medium to enforce single‐mode emission and suppress competing resonances. By embedding a Bragg grating ...

Physicists have been hoping for this moment for a long time: for many years, scientists all around the world have been searching for a very specific state of thorium atomic nuclei that promises ...