Laser-cooled atomic gases—collections of atoms chilled to near absolute zero using laser light—have emerged as powerful platforms for exploring quantum phenomena. When placed inside optical cavities, specially engineered structures that trap and amplify light, these ultracold atoms can interact with light in ways that produce highly controlled quantum effects. These systems have already revealed complex behaviors such as self-organization, lasing, and the maintenance of quantum coherence, all of which are vital for advancing quantum sensing and simulation. However, such phenomena have typically only been observable for brief periods, due to the need to reload atoms into the system.
Now, researchers at JILA, a joint institute of the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, have demonstrated continuous lasing from laser-cooled strontium-88 atoms in a ring-shaped optical cavity for several hours. Their findings, published in Nature Physics, mark a significant advance that could influence the future of quantum technologies, including ultra-stable lasers, atomic clocks, and precision sensors.
“Our original aim was to build a continuous superradiant laser for high-precision frequency measurements on short timescales,” said Dr. Vera M. Schäfer, lead author of the study. “Such a laser could open new avenues for detecting dark matter and exploring unexplored areas of physics.”
The team’s broader ambition is to create ultranarrow-linewidth lasers with exceptional frequency stability. These could play a central role in next-generation quantum devices. In the process of pursuing this goal, however, the researchers observed an unexpected phenomenon: spontaneous light emission and self-organization of the atoms in the cavity, without deliberate tuning to force lasing.
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“We noticed laser light emerging simply while loading a cold atomic gas into our cavity—a structure that, like a bell for sound, resonates at specific light frequencies,” explained Professor James K. Thompson. “The atoms were making this optical ‘bell’ ring, and intriguingly, when we tried to change the resonance frequency, the emitted light’s frequency hardly budged.”
This unusual behavior points to a deeper, self-organizing dynamic at play within the system. Essentially, as energy is continuously pumped in, the atoms and cavity respond collectively, stabilizing a light frequency independent of typical cavity constraints. This discovery offers both a new window into quantum self-organization and a practical route to building laser systems with remarkable resilience against environmental disturbances.
Thompson added, “Understanding this effect is crucial for improving the core components of atomic clocks and gravitational wave detectors, both of which depend on incredibly stable optical cavities. The fact that nature seems to ‘tune itself’ under the right conditions could be a game-changer.”
The study highlights not just a novel form of continuous lasing, but also a promising step toward realizing stable and self-regulating quantum systems that could power the next generation of precision measurement and quantum information technologies.
