JILA scientists have developed a new method to pack atoms closer together in their strontium atomic clock, preventing collisions and improving performance. By creating “optical tubes” with intersecting laser beams, they were able to pack 4,000 atoms into a confined space, increasing interaction energy and preventing collisions. This approach, proposed by theorist Ana Maria Rey and demonstrated by Jun Ye’s group, could make neutral atom clocks competitive with single ion clocks. The research was supported by DARPA, NIST, NSF, and AFOSR.
Keywords: Optical tubes, Strontium atomic clock, Interaction energy, Neutral atoms, Quantum world
