Deborah Jin, a prominent physicist at NIST and JILA, passed away on September 15, 2016 at the age of 47 after a battle with cancer. Jin was known for her groundbreaking work in the field of exotic states of matter called ultracold quantum gases. These gases, which exist at temperatures just millionths to billionths of a degree above absolute zero, exhibit highly unusual behavior.
Jin’s most notable achievements include producing and characterizing the world’s first fermionic condensate, a challenging feat that builds upon the discovery of Bose-Einstein condensates, for which she played an early role. She also co-produced and characterized the world’s first ultracold quantum gas of polar molecules and the first chemical reactions between ultracold molecules in a quantum gas. These advancements have potential applications in understanding molecular processes important for medicine, energy exploration, and “designer chemistry.”
Quantum gases serve as model systems to better understand and predict new behaviors in other states of matter, such as superconducting materials and superfluids, which could have many practical applications if better understood. Jin’s work has been recognized with numerous international scientific awards, including a 2003 MacArthur Fellowship and election to the National Academy of Sciences in 2005 at the age of 37, making her the second-youngest woman ever elected.
Keywords: Quantum, Gas, Behavior
