Research on ultra-cold atoms lies at the intersection of atomic physics, many-body physics, quantum optics and quantum information. Quantum physics dominates the behavior of atomic gases cooled to near absolute zero temperature, and cold trapped atoms provide an ideal experimental system for studying quantum many-body physics. Our research focuses on ultra-cold gases of Rubidium atoms and Ytterbium/Rubidium mixtures, with the goals of studying novel condensed matter systems and engineering quantum control over many-body systems, including dissipative baths.
Elizabeth Goldschmidt Joins the Rb I Team!
Elizabeth Goldschmidt, recently graduated from Alan Midgall's group in the JQI, has joined the Rb I team. She will be working on the collective Rydberg excitation project, making use of her previous experience with photon counting.
Ytterbium BEC
Another milestone on our way to ultracold mixtures of Rb and Yb, we achieved our first Yb BEC last Friday night. Pictured below are absorption images of 174-Yb atoms at successively deeper final trap depths going from thermal to mixed to pure condensate.
Magic Zero paper published
Our paper, Precision Measurement of Transition Matrix Elements via Light Shift Cancellation, was published in Physical Review Letters. In it, we demonstrate a new technique to measure the 5s-6p transition matrix elements in a BEC of Rb87 atoms.
Steve Olmschenk is headed to Denison University
Steve is leaving us to start his own research at Denison University. We wish him all the best!
Ari Dyckovsky is an Intel Science Talent Search finalist!
Congratulations Ari for being selected as a finalist for the Intel Science Talent search. We wish him luck at Stanford!