Lastest News

  • April 16 2026          USTC Achieves Direct Detection of Ultra-Rare Isotope Argon-42 in the Atmosphere


    Recently, the research team led by Zheng-Tian Lu and Wei Jiang from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), in collaboration with Liang-Ting Sun's team from the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully achieved the direct detection of the ultra-rare radioactive isotope Argon-42 (42Ar) in atmospheric samples. The isotopic abundance of 42Ar in the atmosphere is extremely low, at a magnitude of only about one part per sextillion (10-21). This breakthrough improves the detection sensitivity of existing methods by approximately 4–5 orders of magnitude, opening a new path for the precision measurement of ultra-low abundance isotopes and marking a new milestone in single-atom sensitive detection technology. The related results, titled "Detection of Atmospheric 42Ar at the 10-21 Level by Atom Counting," were published in Nature Physics on April 14.

    USTC Achieves Direct Detection of Ultra-Rare Isotope Argon-42 in the Atmosphere Source: USTC News
    New approach to detect ultra-rare part-per-sextillion isotopes could also sharpen dark matter searches Source: Phys.org

  • April 16 2026          A New Tool for Atom Trap Dating: 41Ca Determination of Glacial Moraine Exposure Age


    Recently, the research team of Professors Wei Jiang and Zheng-Tian Lu from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), in collaboration with Professor Fang Huang's team, published a research paper titled "41Ca exposure dating of glacial moraines" in Science Bulletin. By utilizing Atom Trap Trace Analysis (ATTA) technology, the research team successfully determined the 41Ca isotope abundance in moraine samples from the Tibetan Plateau, achieving exposure dating of the samples and providing a brand-new tool for studying the glacial evolution of the Tibetan Plateau.

    A New Tool for Atom Trap Dating: 41Ca Determination of Glacial Moraine Exposure Age Source: USTC News Network

  • June 27 2025          USTC researchers Observe Breit-Rabi Effect of Atoms in Electric Field


    A research team led by Professor Lu Zhengtian and Scientist Xia Tian from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and the Hefei National Laboratory has successfully observed the Breit-Rabi effect of atomic energy levels in an electric field. This research achievement, titled "Observation of the electric Breit-Rabi effect", was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on June 27.

    USTC researchers Observe Breit-Rabi Effect of Atoms in Electric Field  Source: People's Daily
    Chinese Scientists Observed Electric Breit-Rabi Effect for the First Time  Source: Science and Technology Daily

  • May 2025         All-Optical Method for Dating Ice Cores


    Researchers in China and the United States have developed an all-optical method for radiometric dating of ice samples up to 1.5 million years old (Nat. Commun., doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59264-6). The work gives paleoclimatologists a powerful new tool for analyzing and understanding climate patterns over vast geological periods.

    Optics & Photonics News - All-Optical Method for Dating Ice Cores   Source: OPTICA News

  • March 2025         Quantum Breakthrough: Scientists Create Schrödinger-Cat State With Record-Long Lifetime


    USTC researchers created a long-lived Schrödinger-cat state, boosting quantum metrology and precision measurements. Their findings open new possibilities for quantum computing and fundamental physics.

    Quantum Breakthrough: Scientists Create Schrödinger-Cat State With Record-Long Lifetime   Source: SciTechDaily

  • May 15 2023         Physics Viewpoint: Testing gravity’s effect on quantum spins


    A new search for an interaction between a particle’s intrinsic spin and Earth’s gravitational field probes physics in the regime where quantum theory meets gravity.

    Physics Viewpoint: Testing gravity’s effect on quantum spins   Source: American Physical Society

  • May 2023         Trapped-atom analysis pushes calcium-41 onto the radiometric dating scene


    With recent advances in laser technology and cold-atom methods, the technique’s sensitivity to the isotope has reached environmental levels.

    Physics Today   Source: Physics Today, Search and Discovery

  • April 20 2023         Laser cooling unlocks metal tracer


    Atom trap trace analysis has emerged as a powerful technique for detecting trace radioisotopes of noble gases. The successful application of the method to a calcium isotope now opens the possibility of extension to other metal isotopes.

    Laser cooling unlocks metal tracer   Source: Nature Phyisics, News & Views

  • August 06 2021         An improved instrument for 39Ar dating of water samples


    A cosmogenic radioisotope with 269-year half-life and a unique age span, 39Ar is an ideal tracer for age-dating glaciers, oceans, and groundwater. It can help scientists better understand the global water cycle and Earth’s climate history.

    Typically, 39Ar is difficult to detect due to its extremely low isotopic abundance. To this end, Tong et al. developed an instrument to measure the 39Ar isotope in environmental water samples with greater precision using an analytical method called atom trap trace analysis (ATTA).

    An improved instrument for 39Ar dating of water samples   Source: American Institute of Physics

  • Jan 30 2018         TANGR2018


    3rd International Workshop on Tracer Applications of Noble Gas Radionuclides in the Geosciences(TANGR2018)

    This workshop is dedicated to the study of noble gas radionuclides 85Kr, 39Ar, and 81Kr, three natural tracers for the circulation of water and ice in the environment. Together with 14C, these radionuclides cover an age scale ranging continuously from a few years to 1.4 million years.

    TANGR 2018

  • Jan 08 2018         Significant Progress in Helium Spectroscopy


    近日，中国科学技术大学激光精密测量与痕量探测研究组（atta.ustc.edu.cn）将氦-4原子2S-2P跃迁能级中心频率测定到了1.4kHz的精度，相对精度 5.1×10−12，该结果于12月28日在线发表在物理评论快报Phys. Rev. Lett. 119: 263002 (2017)。论文第一作者为博士研究生郑昕，通讯作者为特任副研究员孙羽博士和胡水明教授。这是该课题组继氦-4原子23PJ能级精细结构分裂测量[Phys. Rev. Lett.118: 063001　(2017)]后在该领域获得的又一个重要的成果。