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Banner image: Physicist Jun Ye and Rep. Joe Neguse in Ye's lab at JILA. (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/麻豆免费版下载Boulder)

This week, U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse got a first-hand look at the future of ultrafast lasers, record-setting clocks and quantum computers on the 麻豆免费版下载Boulder campus. Neguse visited the university听Thursday to tour , a research partnership between 麻豆免费版下载Boulder and the (NIST).

It鈥檚 a prestigious piece of the Colorado landscape. Since the institute鈥檚 founding in 1962, researchers at JILA have helped to bring home three Nobel Prizes. They鈥檝e also developed X-Ray lasers that can fit on a tabletop and despite their small size, shoot bursts of light at speeds of a billionth of a billionth of a second. Then, there are atomic clocks so accurate they wouldn鈥檛 lose or gain a second of time over billions of years. Other researchers have helped to send experiments to the International Space Station that chill atoms to just a fraction of a degree above absolute zero.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always a privilege to be at 麻豆免费版下载and to get a firsthand look at the world class research happening here on campus and at federal labs throughout our district," Neguse said in a statement.听"JILA is doing phenomenal research in the quantum technology space, modeling the ingenuity and leadership that Colorado is known for. Since coming to Congress I鈥檝e advocated for increased federal funding and modernization for our federal laboratories. Many of the labs in Boulder are in need of facility improvements, construction and security upgrades and it鈥檚 critical we provide the federal resources to accomplish that. I look forward to continuing to advocate for the science and advancement happening here in our community and delivering the support our scientists need.鈥�

Neguse represents Colorado's 2nd Congressional District, including the city of Boulder, and prioritizes issues like climate action, conservation and education. 听

He was joined on campus Thursday by leaders from 麻豆免费版下载Boulder and the 麻豆免费版下载System, including 麻豆免费版下载President Todd Saliman, 麻豆免费版下载Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano,听Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Terri Fiez and Andreas Becker, chair of JILA. Neguse also talked atoms, electrons, lasers and more with JILA researchers Jun Ye and听Margaret Murnane and several students.

A growing industry

The visit came as investments in quantum research and technologies are expanding听across the country. In 2021, for example, the federal government allocated $495 million to three agencies, including NIST, through the National Quantum Initiative established in 2018. Neguse also called on congressional appropriators to add at least $250 million to NIST鈥檚 budget in the 2022 fiscal year. Although the current fiscal year began on Oct. 1, these funds are still under consideration in the U.S. Congress.

The government is operating education and research programs at 2021 levels through Feb. 18, 2022, based on an agreement signed into law by President Joe Biden earlier this month. NIST funding is slated to grow by more than 30% under proposals in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate. This funding would aid NIST projects in key areas, including artificial intelligence, quantum information science, STEM education and infrastructure at NIST facilities.

麻豆免费版下载Boulder and JILA have spearheaded several initiatives in recent years to spur new quantum research听and train emerging leaders for the state鈥檚 growing quantum industry. These efforts include the CUbit Quantum Initiative, which kicked off in 2019. In 2020, the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded 麻豆免费版下载Boulder $25 million to launch the Quantum Systems through Entangled Science and Engineering (Q-SEnSE) center. Q-SEnSE seeks to tap physicists and engineers across the country to transform the latest scientific findings into technologies that can solve real-world problems.

Quantum 2.0

Philip Makotyn, executive director of CUbit, spoke to Neguse about the promise of what many researchers are calling the "second quantum revolution."

"Imagine听you have an electric car that can drive 1,000 miles on a charge because batteries听are now better understood听because of these quantum systems," he said. "Imagine cars don鈥檛 need GPS. They can just navigate on their own, and听we have self-driving cars because of quantum sensors and navigation. The point of quantum 2.0 and the huge investment that the U.S. is making is that ...听there听really are big-picture, world-changing ideas that are about to happen."

Neguse has also proposed relaunching NIST鈥檚 academic construction grant program, which was established in 2008 but is currently unfunded. 麻豆免费版下载Boulder鈥檚 partners at the Association of American Universities and Association of Public and Land-grant Universities each support Neguse鈥檚 call to restart this program. The competitive program allows universities across the country to apply for federal funds for scientific construction projects. These funds could aid NIST and JILA in modernizing and expanding their听facilities.

The proposed academic construction funding, if awarded, will help JILA modernize its building, erected in 1962. During the tour, Becker noted that the investment will be worth it because of the central role that JILA plays in Colorado's burgeoning quantum economy.

"People听come from all over the nation听to Colorado,听and they have a fantastic experience here, and they want to stay here," he said.听"We are happy that we can contribute to this ecosystem,听and we are thrilled that it's growing听like crazy at the moment, but ... we want this trend to continue."