Skip to main content

Currently Skimming:

8 Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Science: Part of the U.S. Economic and Societal Ecosystem
Pages 253-276

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 253...
... Several factors have contributed to the eminence the United States has enjoyed in AMO science over many decades. These include sustained government funding, extensive investments by academic institutions and industrial research centers, effective translation of AMO research to commercialization and products, and a vibrant, engaged community of scientists worldwide.
From page 254...
... . In order to understand the impact of federal funding on AMO research, the committee set out to answer the following questions pertaining to aggregate AMO spending across all programs, with the goal of determining if funding for AMO sciences has remained robust over the past decade: • What was the absolute number of dollars spent on AMO research each year over the past decade at the queried agency?
From page 255...
... DoD DoD/DOE/NIST/NSF As-Spent FY2018 Year AFOSRa ARO DARPAb ONR DOEc NISTd NSFe Total Deflatorf $ 2008 4.00 8.55 9.6 1.55 14.70 76.86 22.15 137.41 0.854 160.86 2009 4.00 11.29 17.68 3.9 20.10 79.78 22.25 159.01 0.861 184.75 2010 4.00 7.03 11.44 2.2 20.10 79.46 23.55 147.78 0.871 169.73 2011 4.00 9.29 57.58 2.12 21.60 80.74 23.07 198.39 0.889 223.2 2012 10.00 8.51 29.2 2.19 20.10 83.32 23.02 176.33 0.906 194.64 2013 10.00 9.74 33.92 2.73 20.10 85.07 21.01 182.56 0.922 198.05 2014 10.00 13.04 11.65 3.96 21.00 86.34 21.08 167.08 0.939 177.89 2015 10.00 12.05 8.32 3.08 20.40 87.73 22.19 163.76 0.949 172.51 2016 10.00 9.62 23.4 2.75 21.60 87.81 22.17 177.35 0.960 184.8 2017 10.00 10.11 2.85 2.92 21.90 88.96 22.63 159.37 0.978 162.97 2018 10.00 11.05 7.27 3.45 23.40 90.82 22.54 168.54 1.000 168.54 a AFOSR mentioned the cost of only two major programs: the Atomic and Molecular Physics program at about $4 million per year, and the Ultrashort Pulse Laser-Matter Interactions program, which started in 2012, at about $6 million per year. Funding for MURI programs, some of which is directed to AMO research, is not included by AFOSR nor ONR, although it is included by ARO.
From page 256...
... 256 M a n i p u l a t i n g Q u a n t u m S y s t e ms 8.1a      250. Federal Resaerch Funding  200.
From page 257...
... As AMO laboratory programs grow more expensive to seed, it gets prohibitively expensive for smaller colleges and universities to hire AMO scientists as assistant professors. A likely contributor is the ballooning startup costs resulting from the cumulative costs of the many custom pieces of equipment that are required to put together increasingly complex and precise experiments.
From page 258...
... A possible modality for supporting early career AMO academicians could be prestigious postdoctoral fellowships that can be ported between institutions. Such fellowships could be awarded to postdoctoral scholars before they start faculty positions, and could be used to defray startup costs that many smaller institutions cannot incur.
From page 259...
... collaborations, and intellectual property licensing through universities. A particularly vivid example is provided by the telecommunications industry, which had to dramatically reduce losses in optical fibers, improve the power and frequency stability of lasers and the sensitivity of photodetectors, and then field these technologies across the globe on cost-effective and reliable platforms.
From page 260...
... Attempts at collecting country specific data on international funding of AMO sciences proved to be futile. But anecdotally, we see that worldwide investments in AMO science are growing at a faster pace than in the United States.
From page 261...
... National Comparisons of R&D Performance, Chapter 4. through which multiple funding organizations from multiple countries coordinate research in quantum information sciences.
From page 262...
... 1.5E‐09 1.5E‐09 1E‐09 1E‐09 5E‐10 5E‐10 0 0 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Year Year China USA Germany Russian Federation Japan (C) China USA Germany Russian Federation Japan     FIGURE 8.3  Publication trends by country for the top five countries producing the largest number of publications in atomic, molecular, and optical-related research in peer-reviewed journals (A)
From page 263...
... WORKFORCE, EDUCATIONAL, AND SOCIETAL NEEDS Education and Workforce Development Looking to the future, the health and vibrancy of the AMO ecosystem depends on -- and contributes to -- the development of a technical workforce prepared for 21st century challenges. A significant measure of the workforce of the future is given by current trends in education and employment.
From page 264...
... institutions. The red curve shows degrees awarded; the blue data shows degrees in atomic and molecular physics, plus those in optics and photonics.
From page 265...
... Bridge programs have increasingly shown promise to enhance URM participation in physics, from the longstanding examples like Fisk-Vanderbilt to the more recent APS Bridge programs. Particularly promising are when programs start earlier, while students are still in their undergraduate years, with Cal-Bridge showing very positive outcomes.
From page 266...
... scientific enterprise, and to ensure that the United States remains as welcoming a place to pursue AMO research as ever. As part of our data-gathering efforts for this report, the committee also con ducted two town hall meetings, held during the annual meetings of the APS and the Optical Society of America (OSA)
From page 267...
... This growing need for technically trained workers who have had AMO-related experience in laboratories during their education is easily understood: industry needs most closely match AMO training. Thus, trained undergraduate and master's degree students with sufficient knowledge in AMO are actively sought by industry, particularly those who have had a reasonable exposure to AMO laboratories.
From page 268...
... As a step in that direction, the committee studied who are the current practitioners of AMO sciences. This will help us to identify where to look for opportunities to engage others.
From page 269...
... DAMOP does not cover all AMO-related scientists, at least some of whom may identify with other divisions or topical groups, such as the Division of Chemical Physics, the Division of Laser Science, the Division of Physics of Beams, the new Quantum Information Division, or the Precision Measurement and Fundamental Constants Group, or the Few-body Systems Group. In similar vein, there are many other members of the AMO community who do not belong to DAMOP, so the DAMOP numbers underrepresent the full extent of AMO scientists, possibly by as much as a factor of two.
From page 270...
... In the absence of AMO-specific data, the committee uses national trends in STEM education as a proxy for AMO sciences. Doctoral degrees granted in STEM fields to U.S.
From page 271...
... Not shown, but the committee notes sepa­ rately from that report, that of all STEM doctoral degrees granted, 4.3 percent in 2000 and 4.1 percent in 2015 were Ph.D.s in physics. SOURCE: Reproduced from Figure 2-4 of the NAS Graduate STEM Education report.
From page 272...
... population where non-whites account for more than 40 percent of the population. On the positive side, this means that there is an enormous talent pool that physics, and correspondingly AMO sciences, could tap in the future.
From page 273...
... The report identifies minority serving institutions as a national resource that should be tapped to strengthen and diversify the STEM workforce. The committee does not reproduce these studies in this report, but notes that they all urgently caution that technical education and training of the American workforce is not keeping up with the projected needs of an increasingly technical
From page 274...
... Finding: As AMO laboratory programs grow more expensive to seed, the need for seeding the research of early career investigators is increasingly important. Recommendation: The federal government should develop seed funding and portable fellowship grant models that support the transition of atomic, molecular, and optical theorists and experimentalists into faculty positions.
From page 275...
... There are notable inequities and barriers for women and URMs, which are the result of cultural norms in science, unconscious and conscious biases that subtly and overtly devalue those who "don't belong" in the dominant groups and cultures, harassing behaviors, lack of role models, and many other sociological factors. These pernicious sociological effects lead to inequitable outcomes and detract from the well-intentioned opportunities and support the AMO community tries to provide.
From page 276...
... Last, it is important to note that the sustained investments in AMO science in the United States are paying off as it continues to be a dynamic exciting field that is enabling fundamental exploration while also spawning new technologies, seeding invention and innovation, and having significant intellectual, societal, and economic impact.


This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More information on Chapter Skim is available.