# News November 6, 2025 - Na-Cs Rydberg team published their work on "[Probing critical phenomena in open quantum systems using atom arrays](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq0278)” in Science. Congrats, Na-Cs Rydberg Team! October 6, 2025 - KRb team published their work on ["Probing Dipolar Interactions between Rydberg Atoms and Ultracold Polar Molecules"](https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/48rk-sxfs) in Physical Review Letters. Congrats, KRb Team! May 15, 2025 - Dr. Li Du joins the group. Welcome, Li! April 7, 2025 - The KRb team published their work on [Hyperfine-to-rotational energy transfer in ultracold atom–molecule collisions of Rb and KRb](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-025-01778-z) in Nature Chemistry. Congrats, KRb team! January 23, 2025 - Amazing NaCs molecule team's work on [Entanglement and iSWAP gate between molecular qubits](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08177-3) has also been covered in Harvard Gazette [Harvard scientists trap molecules to perform quantum operations — Harvard Gazette](https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/01/researchers-make-leap-in-quantum-computing-molecules/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Gazette%2020250123%20(1)&spMailingID=35803359&spUserID=MjM0NTM3MzgyMzkS1&spJobID=2823901753&spReportId=MjgyMzkwMTc1MwS2) Congrats, NaCs team! November 13, 2024 - The NaCs molecule team published their work on [Entanglement and iSWAP gate between molecular qubits](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08177-3) in Nature. Congrats, NaCs team! August 14, 2024 - Dr. Youngshin Kim joins the group. Welcome, Youngshin! May 28, 2024 - The NaCs molecule team published their work on [Site-selective preparation and multistate readout of molecules in optical tweezers](https://journals.aps.org/prxquantum/abstract/10.1103/PRXQuantum.5.020344) in PRX Quantum. Congrats, NaCs team! May 16, 2024 - The KRb team published their work on [Quantum interference in atom-exchange reactions](https://www.science.org/stoken/author-tokens/ST-1877/full) in Science. Congrats! April 8, 2024 - Visiting postdoctoral fellow Dr. David Wellnitz joins the group. Welcome, David! March 11, 2024 - Dr. Roy Shaham joins the group. Welcome, Roy! February 16, 2024 - The KRb team published their proposal on [Reaction interferometry with ultracold molecules](https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2024/fd/d3fd00175j) in Faraday Discussions. Congrats, KRb team! October 30, 2023 - The NaCs molecules team published their work on [Extended rotational coherence of polar molecular in an elliptically polarized trap](https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.183401) in Physical Review Letters. Congrats! September 11, 2023 - Dr. Lysander Christakis joins the group. Welcome, Lysander! August 2023 - Graduate students Sam Gebretsadkan and Ziguang Lin join the group. Welcome! June 5, 2023 - The NaCs team published their work on . Congrats! May 24, 2023 - Visiting student Arfor Houwman joins the group. Welcome, Arfor! October 28, 2022 - Kang-Kuen is named among the first cohort of Moore Experimental Physics Investigators. Thank you, Moore Foundation! September 16, 2022 - Our paper on [Enriching the quantum toolbox of ultracold molecules with Rydberg atoms is published in PRX Quantum](https://journals.aps.org/prxquantum/abstract/10.1103/PRXQuantum.3.030339). Congrats! September 2022 - Graduate students Jeshurun Luke, Christian H. Nunez, and Dewei Gong join the group. Welcome! May 9, 2022 - The NaCs molecule team published their paper on [An optical tweezer array of ground-state polar molecules in Quantum Science Technology](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2058-9565/ac676c/pdf). Congrats! March 15, 2022 - The KRb team published their work on [Detection of long-lived complexes in ultracold atom-molecule collisions in Physical Review X](https://journals.aps.org/prx/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevX.12.011049). Congrats! March 7, 2022 - Dr. Annie J. Park joins the group. Welcome, Annie! February 1, 2022 - Dr. Mark Babin joins the group. Welcome, Mark! November 11, 2021 - Kang-Kuen and Prof. Adam Kaufman (JILA) publish a review article on [Quantum science with optical tweezer arrays of ultracold atoms and molecules](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-021-01357-2) in Nature Physics! September 2021 - Graduate students Gabriel Patenotte, Ryan Cimmino, and Conner Williams join the group. Welcome! August 24, 2021 - Jessie Zhang successfully defended her PhD thesis! Congrats! July 1, 2021 - Kang-Kuen is promoted to Full Professor with tenure! Congrats! January 28, 2021 - We bid farewell to Ming-Guang Hu, who will be joining QuEra computing as a senior research scientist. All the best in your new position! December 17, 2020 - Yichao Yu successfully defended his PhD thesis! Congrats! December 2020 - Dr. Fang Fang and Dr. Yixiang Liu join the group! Welcome! August 7, 2020 - Yu Liu successfully defended his PhD thesis! Congrats! November 29, 2019 - Our paper on [Direct observation of bimolecular reactions of ultracold KRb molecules](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6469/1111) solving a [10-years-old mystery](https://science.sciencemag.org/content/327/5967/853) (+ suprises) is published in Science. Great work, KRb team! [Physics Today](https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.6.1.20191219a/full/) October 1, 2019 - Will Cairncross joins us as a MPHQ postdoctoral fellow. Congrats and welcome! September 3, 2019 - Matthew Nichols joins us as a HQI postdoctoral fellow. Congrats and welcome! August 12, 2019 - Graduate student Lingbang Zhu joins the group. Welcome! May 10, 2019 - Lee Liu successfully defended his PhD thesis! Congrats! April 10, 2019 - Kenneth Wang recieves a 2019 NSF graduate fellowship! Congrats! October 23, 2018 - Kang-Kuen wins the 2019 APS I.I. Rabi Prize! Congrats! October 11th, 2018 - Graduate student Yu Liu wins a Bok Center Teaching Award for his excellent teaching in Spring 2018. Congrats!! September 4th, 2018 - Kang-Kuen is awarded a DOE YIP on the research proposal "State-to-State Molecular Reactions in the Ultracold Regime" Thank you, DOE! August 27th, 2018 - Graduate student Eliot Fenton joins the group. Welcome! August 1st, 2018 - Graduate studnet Lewis Picard joins the group. Welcome! July 24, 2018 - Our paper on [Elliptical polarization for molecular Stark shift compensation in deep optical traps](https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.26.019821) is published in Optics Express. July 13, 2018 - Our paper on [Dipolar exchange quantum logic gate with polar molecules](http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2014/SC/C8SC02355G#!divAbstract) is published in Chemical Science. June 28, 2018 - Our paper on [Motional-groun-state cooling outside the Lamb-Dicke regime](https://journals.aps.org/pra/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevA.97.063423) is published in PRA. Congrats to Yichao and all. April 12, 2018 - Our paper on "[Building one molecule from a reservoir of two atoms](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/04/11/science.aar7797)" is published in Science first release. [Nature Research highlights](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-04580-9) [Chemistry World](https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/two-atom-reaction-smallest-chemistry-experiment-ever-performed/3008884.article) [Science News](https://www.sciencenews.org/article/using-laser-tweezers-chemists-nudged-two-atoms-bond) [c&en](/cen.acs.org/content/cen/articles/96/i16/Optical-tweezers-trap-two-atoms.html) [WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/chemists-orchestrate-the-molecular-union-of-two-single-atoms/?mbid=email_onsiteshare) August 21, 2017 - Graduate student Kenneth Wang joins the group! Welcome. August 10, 2017 - Our paper on cooing a single sodium atom in an optical tweezer, "Motional Ground State Cooling Outside the Lamb-Dickes Regime" is on the [arXiv](https://arxiv.org/abs/1708.03296)! *August 7, 2017* - Dr. David Grimes joins our group as a MPQ-Harvard Quantum Optics Center Postdoctoral Fellow. Congrats and Welcome! *June 27, 2017* - We bid farewell to Dr. Hutzler who will be starting his Assistant Professorship in Physics at Caltech on July 1st! Thank you, congrats, and we will miss you! Join Nick at [www.hutzlerlab.com](http://www.hutzlerlab.com)! *March 20, 2017* - Jessie Zhang receives a 2017 NSF Graduate Fellowship. Congratulations! February 10, 2017 - Undergrad Constantin joins. *January 13, 207* - Our new paper on "Ultracold Molecular Assembly" on the [arXiv](/file_url/351)! *January 9, 2017* - Dr. Yen-Wei Lin joins the group. Welcome! *December 1, 2016* - Dr. Jon Hood joins the group. Welcome! *October 14, 2016* - Kang-Kuen wins a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering! *July 5, 2016 -* Will, Jason, and Nick wrote a new paper on reaching low temperature (-64oC) operations of a diode laser, check it out on the [arXiv](/file_url/366)! *June 20, 2016 -* Undergrad Colin joins us from the University of Chicago for the summer! *June 9, 2016 -* High school student Ilona joins for a project! *June 7, 2016 -* Undergrad Eugene joins! Welcome! *May 31, 2016 -* Our new paper on "Eliminate light shifts in single-atom optical traps" on the [arXiv](http://arxiv.org/abs/1605.09422)! *April 12, 2016 -* Graduate Student Andrei Horia Gheorghe joins our group. Welcome! April 4, 2016 - Diploma student Frederic Condin joins our group from Germany. Welcome! *March 2, 2016 -* Dr. Ming-Guang Hu joins the group! Welcome! *August 24, 2015 -* Graduate Student Yu-Ting Chen joins for a rotation. Welcome! *August 12, 2015 -* Graduate Student Jessie Zhang joins our group. Welcome, Jessie! *August 3, 2015 -* Kang-Kuen is a 2015 Beckman Young Investigator! *June 9, 2014* - Harvard college student Jason Rosenberg joins us for the summer. *February 23, 2015 -* Kang-Kuen is named a 2015 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow in Physics. *January 21, 2015 -* Kang-Kuen is among the 2015 AFOSR Young Investigator Program recipients. Thank you, AFOSR! *January 10, 2015 -* Hyungmok Son joins the group for a rotation. Welcome! *November 3, 2014 -* Rotation student Jhonathan Romero Fontalvo joins! *September 8, 2014 -* Graduate student Ian Kivlichan joins the group for a rotation. Welcome! *September 1, 2014 -* Dr. Nick Hutzler join our group as a Harvard Quantum Optics Center Postdoctoral Fellow! Welcome and Congratulations! *July 18, 2014 -* Lab Warming party! *July 14, 2014 -* Graduate student Yu Liu joins the lab! *July 8, 2014* - We've moved! We are next to the CCB library. Visit us at Converse 123, 132, 133, and 135! *July 1, 2014 -* We begin to move into our new space. Lab at Converse 123. *June 17, 2014* - Undergrad Enes Aybar from Bilkent University joins for the summer. *June 9, 2014 -* Graduate Student Yichao Yu joins the lab! Undergrad Will Tobias joins for the summer. Welcome! *April 7, 2014* - Postdoc Alex Gerakis arrived! *February 20, 2014 -* Undergrad Saahil Mehta joins the lab! *January 16, 2014* - Graduate student Lee Liu joins the lab! Welcome! *December 13, 2013,* Prof. Ni won a 2014 Milton Fund grant. Thank you, William F. Milton Fund! *December 6, 2013* - "Precision Spectroscopy of Polarized Molecules in an Ion Trap" by Loh, Cossel, Grau, Ni, Meyer, Bohn, Ye, and Cornell has been published in *Science* **342**, 1220 (2013). Check out this new exciting result! *October 1, 2013* - Temporary lab is up and running. We are open for business.