May 2025
Efficient cooling to less than 10 nK enabled allowed the observation of the first BEC of polar ground state molecules
May 2025
The Will Lab investigates quantum systems of ultracold atoms and molecules. We cool atoms and molecules to ultracold temperatures close to above absolute zero - reaching the coldest temperatures allowed by nature. At these temperatures, the behavior of particles is determined by the laws of quantum mechanics. Using the precision tools of atomic physics, we have full control over the quantum state of each particle and the interactions between them.
We work towards single atom and single molecule and create novel many-body quantum systems, and perform quantum simulations of strongly interacting matter. Our research program focusses on fundamental questions in many-body quantum physics, quantum simulation, and quantum optics, and contributes to the development of modern quantum technologies. For more details go to Research.
Recent News
June 15, 2025
Dr. Niccolò Bigagli finalist for the APS Deborah Jin Thesis Award!
Our own Niccolò Bigagli is one of the four finalists for the APS Deborah Jin Thesis Award! This week Niccolò will present his groundbreaking thesis work - comprising the full journey from an empty lab to the first Bose-Einstein condensate of dipolar molecules - at the APS DAMOP conference in Portland, OR. Please join the session if you can! We are very excited for you, Niccolò, and all fingers crossed! Link to the DAMOP Session
May 11, 2025
Single atom trapping in a metasurface array of 256 traps
Next important development in the TweeSr Lab - trapping of single strontium atoms in a metasurface array with 256 traps. Also, check out this wonderful portrait about Aaron Holman, senior grad student on TweeSr, discussing the excitement of trapping single atoms, which science we are working on, how we collaborate with our Columbia colleagues Nanfang Yu and Alexander Gaeta, and how the project will tie into the broader efforts of the New York Quantum Network. Link: https://quantum.columbia.edu/news/how-catch-atom
May 13, 2025
Extreme loss suppression and widely tunable interactions in ultracold molecules
Check out our new preprint - we demonstrate extreme suppression of inelastic losses in an ultracold molecular gas, reaching lifetimes > 6 seconds. While two- and three-body losses remain suppressed below the detection limit (!) we show that dipolar interactions can be widely and flexibly tuned with double microwave dressing - akin to what Feshbach resonances do for ultracold atoms. A huge thank you to the entire NaCs team for the tremendous work and all the amazing insights that led to this critical advance! Link: arXiv:2505.08773 (2025)
December 24, 2024
Two papers out in PRL back-to-back
Christmas present! Our two papers on single-molecule and three-molecule effects of microwave shielding just appeared back-to-back in Physical Review Letters. Congrats to everyone and also big thank you to Chris Greene, Shayamal Singh, and Ahmed Elkamshishy for the fruitful collaboration!
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