Research News

Researchers at DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory (ARL), in collaboration with the University of Maryland at College Park and the Army-Maryland Partnership for Quantum Electrodynamics (AMPED), have demonstrated the three-dimensional (3d) vector characterization of a radio-frequency electromagnetic (EM) field using a quantum sensor based on Rydberg atoms.

An EM field is characterized by field and propagation directions oriented in 3d space, but typical sensors only report the field amplitude along one particular axis.

Researchers at JQI and the University of Maryland (UMD) have discovered a new way to quickly check the work of a quantum computer. They proposed a novel method to both demonstrate a quantum device’s problem-solving power and verify that it didn’t make a mistake. They described their protocol in an article published March 5, 2025, in the journal PRX Quantum.

JQI Fellow Kartik Srinivasan and his colleagues have introduced an innovative method for improving single-photon collection—an essential step in advancing secure communications, high-precision imaging and quantum computing. By integrating new fabrication techniques, the research teams demonstrated a scalable and highly adaptable approach to guiding single photons efficiently into optical fibers.

JQI researchers identified a set of promising ingredients for making time crystals. With those ingredients in mind, they developed a new theoretical framework that they hope will put time crystals research on an equal footing with the study of traditional phases of matter.

RQS senior investigator Ian Spielman, working with two postdocs, has introduced a tool for measuring velocities in a Bose-Einstein superfluid and applied it to studying superfluid turbulence.

A new experiment let JQI researchers get an unprecedented look at the currents hiding in a superfluid. The technique they developed allows them to measure the fluid velocity at specific locations in a superfluid, opening new opportunities to investigate the dynamics of superfluids, including how they experience turbulence.

In a physics first, researchers have created beams of neutrons that travel in curves. The team created these Airy beams (named for English scientist George Airy) using a custom-built device. The beams could enhance neutrons’ ability to reveal useful information about materials ranging from pharmaceuticals to perfumes to pesticides—in part because the beams can bend around obstacles.

Zohreh Davoudi, Nicole Yunger Halpern, and Chris Jarzynski are collaborating to blend three disparate fields of physics—the study of elementary particles and their interactions, the understanding of temperature and heat in quantum mechanics, and quantum simulation—to create a novel approach to understanding and modeling the physics of the early universe and high-energy collisions.

Nicole Yunger Halpern teamed up with an artist to create a sculpture that brings quantum concepts to life.

Lasers helped UMD researchers hone their aim in a microscopic game of darts played to recover gold nanoparticles from levitation experiments.