Nanoscientists explore the ultrasmall - ultracold atoms, quantum dots, molecules, semiconductors, electronic devices, and surface-based chemical reactions - that have dimensions are measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter. Nanosized systems are so small that researchers must both figure out how to create them and determine how they are affected by the laws of quantum mechanics. JILA's diverse nanoscience research encompasses investigations of the fundamental physics of semiconductors, attosecond X-ray probes of molecules & materials, silver nanoclusters & quantum dots, the application of nanotechnology to biology, the design of innovative nanoelectronic devices, and model systems for studying nanoscale science & technology. JILA researchers are looking for answers to such questions as:

• Can we create devices that use electron spins or quantum mechanical behavior to encode information?
• Can we probe exciton scattering in semiconductor quantum wells to test fundamental theories of physics?
• Can we examine ultrafast thermal and electronic responses in atoms or molecules with nanometer resolution?
• Can we use cluster of silver nanoparticles to identify one or two molecules of an unknown substance?
• How can we build sensors based on biomolecules?
• How can we overcome the inherent difficulty of observing rapid dynamical motions that take place in nanoscale devices?
• Can Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) systems model nanoscale electronic, atomic, and molecular interactions?