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.
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:43 - What is Time?
05:49 - How Did Bill Get Into Atom Cooling?
18:30 - How Do Atomic Clocks Actually Work?
31:08 - History of Atomic Clocks
37:18 - Laser Cooling for Atomic Clocks
40:49 - How To Synchronize Atomic Clocks
43:20 - How Cesium Cooling Was Developed
45:48 - Pushing Beyond the Doppler Limit
49:47 - The Beginning of Thor Labs
52:45 - The Previous Limits were Wrong
1:05:37 - How Bill Broke the Doppler Limit
1:12:22 - What is Optical Pumping?
1:20:27 - Can Atom Trapping Be Leveraged For Cold Fusion?
1:31:32 - What Makes Bill So Lucky?
1:35:25 - How Bill's Work Led to Atomic Clocks
1:41:05 - What Makes Cesium So Good For Atomic Clocks?
1:47:38 - Quantum Effects on Atomic Clocks
1:59:02 - Bose-Einstein Condensates
2:09:05 - Did Bill's Work Lead To Quantum Computing?
2:11:26 - Bill's Thoughts on the Future
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