Episode
Laser Cooling and Quantum Timekeeping | Bill Phillips
- Podcast
- 632nm
- Published
- Sep 9, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 8650
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/d6df1f93
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Summary
How did cooling atoms with lasers revolutionize our understanding of time? In this episode, we speak with Bill Phillips, Nobel Laureate in Physics, about his groundbreaking work on laser cooling and trapping of atoms: research that not only won him the Nobel Prize but also transformed modern timekeeping and technology. Phillips explains why breaking the Doppler cooling limit changed physics forever and what it means that today’s clocks can measure time differences caused by moving a device just a few millimeters in Earth’s gravity. We discuss the history of timekeeping from sundials to atomic clocks, how Einstein’s relativity reshaped our view of time, and the serendipitous discovery of sub-Doppler cooling that opened the door to ultra-precise measurement, quantum computing, and fundamental tests of nature. Along the way, Phillips reflects on the culture of physics, the importance of mentorship, and the joy of discovery. Whether you’re curious about time, relativity, quantum physics, GPS technology, or the frontiers of precision measurement, this conversation offers rare insight into how science, collaboration, and curiosity converge to shape the modern world. Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists: Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/ Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/ Follow our hosts! Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovsky Misha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginov Xinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYin Subscribe: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6O…