Medal of Honour:
29 November 2021
Jun Ye awarded the Niels Bohr Medal of Honour 2021
Medal of Honour:
The 2021 Niels Bohr Medal of Honour is awarded to Dr. Jun Ye, Fellow of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (USA), Fellow at JILA and Adjoint Professor at the University of Colorado. Jun Ye is a world leading researcher in the fields of atomic physics, many body physics and fundamental tests using ultra-precise measurements.
In the course of his carrier Jun Ye has developed the world’s best atom clocks and has used them to establish new standards of time, and to study incredibly weak interactions and fundamental symmetries.
Jun got his PhD under the supervision of the Nobel laureate Jan Hall in 1997 and started his independent research career in 1999. His extremely impressive publication list contains more than 300 papers including more than 40 papers in Science and Nature journals and more than 60 Physical Review Letters.
The impact of his work is evidenced by more than 45.000 citations, the h-factor of 115 and more than 500 plenary and invited talks.
Atomic clocks developed by Jun Ye and his group exemplify ultimate quantum devices based on atoms and photons. Progress in atomic, optical and quantum science has led to rapid improvements in atomic clocks.
At the same time, atomic clock research has helped to advance the frontiers of science, affecting both fundamental and applied research. Ultra-precise atomic clocks allow to study general relativity effects and to examine fundamental constants for possible time variations.
Jun Ye’s work paves the road towards search for particles of dark matter and simulations of many-body physics.
Jun Ye has received numerous awards, including some of the most prestigious ones, such as the Norman Ramsey Prize (2019), Presidential Rank Award (2015), the Gold Medal of the US Department of Commerce (2014), the Rabi Prize (2007), the Carl Zeiss Award (2007), and the 2022 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. He is a member of the US National Academy of Science (2011) and Director of the Quantum Leap Challenge Institute.
Jun Ye has fostered international collaborations in many ways, including extensive collaboration with Danish researchers. Graduates from his group occupy faculty and research positions worldwide. His groundbreaking fundamental research resulted in the development and introduction of the new international standards of time and length.
What does it mean for you to be awarded the Niels Bohr Medal of Honor?
“I certainly feel a great sense of honor and humbleness to receive a medal of honour in Niels Bohr's name. Niels Bohr has been a hero figure in my life since high school, and a constant source of inspirations to me and my colleagues. I will take this opportunity to renew my love and commitment for science and the great spirit of Niels Bohr for international collaboration and fellowship”.