BEC

In the quest to better explain and even harness the strange and amazing behaviors of interacting quantum systems, well-characterized and controllable atomic gases have emerged as a tool for emulating the behavior of solids. This is because physicists can use lasers to force atoms in dilute quantum gases to act, in many ways, like electrons in solids. The hope is studying the same physics in the atom-laser system will help scientists understand the inner workings of different exotic materials.JQI physicists, led by Trey Porto, are interested in quantum magnetic ordering, which is believed to be intimately related to high-temperature superconductivity and also has significance in other massively connected quantum systems. Recently, the group studied the magnetic and motional dynamics of atoms in a specially designed laser-based lattice that looks like a checkerboard. Their work was published in the journal Science.

Strongly correlated electronic systems, like superconductors, display remarkable electronic and magnetic properties, and are of considerable research interest. These systems are fermionic, meaning they are composed of a class of particle called a fermion. Bosonic systems, composed another family of particles called bosons, offer a level of control often not possible in solid state systems. Creating analogous states in bose gases is an excellent way to model the dynamics of these less tractable systems. This means engineering a gas that, when cooled down to a condensate, assumes a phase equivalent to its solid state counterpart.
JQI theorists Juraj Radic, Stefan Natu, and Victor Galitski have proposed a new magnetic phase for a bose gas. The transition to this phase is analogous to the formation of ferromagnetism in magnetic materials, like iron, and might give insight into the physics of...

Quantum computers will someday perform calculations impossible for conventional digital computers.  But for that to happen, the core quantum information must be preserved against contamination from the environment.  In other words, decoherence of qubits must be forestalled.  Coherence, the ability of a system to retain quantum integrity---meaning that one part of the system can be used to predict the behavior of other parts---is an important consideration.

In certain exotic situations, a collection of atoms can transition to a superfluid state, flouting the normal rules of liquid behavior. Unlike a normal, viscous fluid, the atoms in a superfluid flow unhindered by friction.

Twenty years ago, Philip Platzman and Allen Mills, Jr. at Bell Laboratories proposed that a gamma-ray laser could be made from a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) of positronium, the simplest atom made of both matter and antimatter (1).

Atomtronics is an emerging technology whereby physicists use ensembles of atoms to build analogs to electronic circuit elements. Modern electronics relies on utilizing the charge properties of the electron. Using lasers and magnetic fields, atomic systems can be engineered to have behavior analogous to that of electrons, making them an exciting platform for studying and generating alternatives to charge-based electronics.

In “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (JK Rowling, 1997), Harry, Ron, and Hermione encounter a massive stone chessboard, one of many obstacles in their path. To advance, they must play, and win. Although the board and pieces are much larger than normal, and the circumstances a bit peculiar, one thing remains clear to them—this is a game of chess, with the same rules as always. 

From NIST Techbeat¹

Phil Schewe discusses how matter, such as atoms and electrons, can display wave-like properties. Steve Rolston describes early scattering experiments. Gretchen Campbell talks about matter waves in the context of modern Bose-Einstein condensate experiments.

Modern precision measurements are spectacular feats of engineering. An excellent example is determining the passage of time. Before John Harrison’s marine chronometer in the mid 18th century, ship clocks lost so much time that the sailors themselves often became lost as well. Today’s global positioning system (GPS) relies on rubidium and cesium atomic clocks aboard satellites. These clocks, precise to about one second per 30,000 years are far better than those used in the early days of navigation.