The new Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Quantum Precision Measurement (Photo – W.K.)
Deep beneath the California Institute of Technology campus, scientists are preparing to tackle some of physics’ most elusive questions from a facility designed to be isolated from the noise of the outside world.
By Rena Kurlander
On June 16, Caltech dedicated the new Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Quantum Precision Measurement, a four-story facility whose most critical research spaces are located nearly 30 feet underground. The Center was designed to provide an exceptionally stable environment for experiments so sensitive that even minor vibrations, temperature fluctuations, or electromagnetic disturbances can compromise results.
The building includes offices and collaborative workspaces above ground, along with a seminar pavilion for lectures, seminars, and special events, but its scientific core lies below the surface. In these research spaces, researchers will pursue cutting-edge investigations in quantum sensing, quantum information science, and gravitational-wave detection.Many scientists believe these fields could transform technology and deepen our understanding of the universe.
Caltech has described the facility as the first center specifically designed to bring together researchers in precision measurement, quantum information science, and gravitational-wave detection under one roof. Research planned for the facility includes future gravitational-wave detection technologies associated with LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave), work by the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, condensed matter and quantum theory investigations, and atomic, molecular, and optical physics experiments.
Isolation was the guiding principle behind the subterranean laboratories. Located 28 feet below ground level, the labs sit atop a continuous three-foot-thick slab engineered to minimize vibrations. Extensive electromagnetic shielding protects experiments from outside interference. Each laboratory is equipped with a dedicated air-handling system capable of maintaining temperatures within one-tenth of a degree Fahrenheit. Such measures are necessary because even tiny environmental disturbances can overwhelm the faint signals researchers are trying to detect.
That level of environmental control reflects the growing demands of modern quantum science, where researchers often seek to detect extraordinarily faint signals that can be overwhelmed by routine disturbances.
The Center is intended to bring experimental physicists, engineers, and theorists together to address challenges that span traditional academic disciplines. Research conducted at the Center could contribute to advances in communications, navigation, medical technologies, and precision measurement, while also helping scientists probe some of the universe’s deepest mysteries.
The facility also includes the Kip Thorne Laboratories, named for the Nobel Prize-winning Caltech physicist whose work helped lay the theoretical foundation for gravitational-wave astronomy. The Center as a strategic addition to the Caltech’s research infrastructure, building on the foundational facilities that supported the groundbreaking gravitational-wave discoveries associated with LIGO.
The dedication ceremony was hosted by Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and emceed by Hirosi Ooguri, a leader in the Caltech’s Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy.
The dedication comes just 13 days before Rosenbaum’s retirement, marking a milestone for a project he championed as part of Caltech’s long-term investment in quantum science.
Located near South Gate Plaza at the northwest corner of California Boulevard and Arden Road, the Ginsburg Center is expected to become a hub for the next generation of precision experiments.
A large crowd attended the dedication of the Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Quantum Precision Measurement, June 17, 2026 (Photo – Chris Flynn for Caltech)
(L-R) Harold A. Rosen Professor of Physics Fiona A. Harrison; Provost David A. Tirrell; Jeff Himmelman, Sherman Fairchild Foundation; Bonnie Himmelman, Sherman Fairchild Foundation; Dr. Allen Ginsburg; Charlotte Ginsburg; Charlie A. Kawwas, Broadcom; President Thomas F. Rosenbaum; and Kent and Joyce Kresa Leadership Chair for the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy Hirosi Ooguri (Photo – Chris Flynn for Caltech)
(L-R) Miles Kealing, representing Asmb. John Harabedian, presents a certificate of recognition to Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum (Photo – Chris Flynn for Caltech)
Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum with Charlie A. Kawwas, president, Semiconductor Solutions Group, Broadcom (Photo – Chris Flynn for Caltech)
Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg (front, right) celebrate the new Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Quantum Precision Measurement with family and friends (Photo – Devin Feil for Caltech)
Conference room by California Boulevard at the new Ginsberg Center (Photo – W.K.)
The Caltech community gathers outside the new Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Quantum Precision Measurement (Photo – Devin Feil for Caltech)
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