In recent years ultracold atomic gases have proven to be a powerful and versatile tool for studying a wide variety of physics.
Our group currently has two experiments, the Sodium atom circuits experiment and the ultracold Strontium experiment. Both experiments are located at the Joint Quantum Institute located on the UMD campus and use ultracold atomic gases to study many-body physics. The atom circuits experiment is currently focused on studying superfluidity and analogs of both superconducting electronics and cosmological physics, whereas the strontium experiment is focused on engineering and studying novel condensed matter systems.
Ultracold Strontium
At the JQI, we're currently building an apparatus to trap and cool Strontium atoms.
Atom Circuits
Ultracold gases, such as the Bose-Einstein condensates, can behave as fluids that exhibit the unusual rules of the quantum world. One striking example of this is superfluidity: flow without resistance. If a superfluid flows in a closed loop, for example, around a ring, such a flow would never cease.
Research
Atom Circuits
Experiments with laser cooling and cold spinor gases
Dissertation Committee Chair: Professor Christopher Lobb
Committee:
Professor Gretchen Campbell
Professor Mario Dagenais
Professor Paul Lett
Professor Christopher Lobb
Professor Steve Rolston
Daniel Barker
Where are they now?:
Physicist at NIST