Campbell Research Group

Ananya's paper, "Programmable system on chip for controlling an atomic physics experiment" was published in Review of Scientific Instruments on May 19th. The paper can be fond here

Our groups paper, in collaboration with the Sensor Science Group at NIST, "Confinement of an alkaline-earth element in a grating magneto-optical trap" was published in Review of Scientific Instruments on October 15th! The paper can be found here.

Our paper, "A Rapidly Expanding Bose-Einstein Condensate: An Expanding Universe in the Lab", was published in Physical Review X in April!  An article highlighting the paper can be found here

Researchers playing with a cloud of ultracold atoms uncovered behavior that bears a striking resemblance to the universe in microcosm. Their work, which forges new connections between atomic physics and the sudden expansion of the early universe, was published April 19 in Physical Review X and featured in Physics. "From the atomic physics perspective, the experiment is beautifully described by existing theory," says Stephen Eckel, an atomic physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the lead author of the new paper. "But even more striking is how that theory connects with cosmology." In several sets of experiments, Eckel and his colleagues rapidly expanded the size of a doughnut-shaped cloud of atoms, taking snapshots during the process. The growth happens so fast that the cloud is left humming, and a related hum may have appeared on cosmic scales during the rapid expansion of the early universe—an epoch that cosmologists refer to as the period of inflation. The work brought together experts in atomic physics and gravity, and the authors say it is a testament to the versatility of the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC)—an ultracold cloud of atoms that can be described as a single quantum object—as a platform for testing ideas from other areas of physics. "Maybe this will one day inform future models of cosmology," Eckel says. "Or vice versa. Maybe there will be a model of cosmology that’s difficult to solve but that you could simulate using a cold atomic gas."

Physics professor and JQI Fellow Fred Wellstood has been appointed the newest UMD Co-Director of JQI. He assumed the role on March 1."Fred has played a major role in the JQI since its founding," says Gretchen Campbell, the current NIST Co-Director of JQI. "Most recently, his tireless efforts helped to design and ultimately build the new Physical Sciences Center at Maryland that many JQI labs now call home. I look forward to working with him to carefully steward JQI’s future."Wellstood came to UMD in 1991 as an Assistant Professor of Physics after earning his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Upon arriving, he joined the Center for Superconductivity Research, now known as the Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials, and began a fruitful research career studying experimental superconductivity with an eye toward the applications of superconducting quantum interference devices. He was Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education in the Department of Physics from 1999 to 2004 and helped add two new concentration tracks for physics majors at UMD—meteorology and physics education. Since then he has been intimately involved in revamping undergraduate lab offerings. Wellstood is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and holds nearly a dozen patents.He takes over from JQI Fellow Steve Rolston, who recently became Chair of the Department of Physics. Campbell applauds Rolston's five years of service as Co-Director of JQI. "JQI grew tremendously under Steve’s leadership," she says, "and his guidance helped enhance our leading role in basic quantum physics research. As Chair of the Department of Physics, he can continue to champion the efforts of JQI and the Department as a whole."

Avinash's paper "Temperature-induced decay of persistent currents in a superfluid ultracold gas" was published in PRA on February 24th. The paper can be found here

See also NIST official obituary with video tribute and interviewThe members of the JQI join many in saying farewell and paying tribute to their esteemed colleague. Katharine Gebbie spent her career at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and was the Director of the Physics and Physical Measurement Laboratories, where she oversaw the work that led to four Nobel Prizes in Physics (William Phillips, Eric Cornell, Jan Hall, and David Wineland). This achievement was directly due to her management style, which placed the science and scientists above all else.

Dozens of JQI Fellows, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students are in Providence, R.I. this week for the 47th meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics (DAMOP). They will be delivering talks and posters on everything from the anomalous behavior of driven Rydberg atoms to running quantum algorithms in a programmable system of trapped ions. A session of invited talks given by three winners of DAMOP prizes is scheduled for Tuesday morning. It will be closed out by the 2015 Maria Goeppert Mayer Award winner, JQI Co-Director Gretchen Campbell, who will talk about her work on superfluid atom circuits.Check out a full list of JQI contributions by using the "Affiliation Search" at the DAMOP meeting online program.

JQI Fellow Gretchen Campbell has been named the new NIST Co-Director of the Joint Quantum Institute, effective April 1, 2016. Campbell joined the JQI in 2009 and is also a UMD Adjunct Associate Professor and APS Fellow. In recent years she has received various accolades for her atomtronics research, including the APS Maria Goeppert-Mayer award. Campbell succeeds JQI Fellow Charles Clark, who has held the position since 2011. JQI Fellow Steven Rolston will continue as the UMD Co-Director. Rolston, on behalf of JQI, would like to thank Clark for his service. "I would particularly like to highlight Charles’ leadership and active engagement with the public in the promotion of quantum physics. The JQI will continue to benefit from his dedication." Rolston continues, "Gretchen is an outstanding research colleague and I look forward to working with her in her new role as Co-Director."