FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES OF DEGENERATE QUANTUM GASES

Ohio State University Research Foundation -Do Not Use, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

TECHNICAL SUMMARY This award supports theoretical research and education at the interface of condensed matter physics and atomic physics. The PI will address fundamental issues in four major areas in quantum gases: (i) strongly interacting Fermi gases, (ii) quantum gases in optical lattices, (iii) quantum gases with internal degrees of freedom, and (iv) fast rotating quantum gases. These projects are directly related to current experiments. At the same time, they explore new directions. The projects on Fermi gases will study universal properties of these systems, and their generalization to non-zero rotations and two dimensions. The goal is to develop new exact relations that will shed light on thermodynamic and transport properties. The projects on lattice quantum gases address two very important issues: how to reduce entropy substantially so as to reach the strongly correlated regime efficiently, and to determine the phase diagram of the system directly from experimental data. The projects of large spin quantum gas will help us uncover new macroscopic quantum phenomena and to explore the intrinsic dipolar effects in these systems. They will help design and engineer special quantum spin states in these systems in the future. The study of fast rotating quantum gases is aimed to realize quantum Hall states in ultra-cold atoms. These projects will provide training for students and postdoctoral researchers in different areas, for example condensed matter physics, atomic physics, and quantum optics. NONTECHNICAL SUMMARY This award supports theoretical research and education at the interface of condensed matter physics and atomic physics. The PI will study new quantum mechanical states of matter exhibited by atoms cooled to very low temperature and trapped, for example by laser light. Rotating gases of ultracold atoms will also be studied. Some states of matter of ultracold atom systems have analogies with electronic states of matter that occur in complex materials and in electrons in a high magnetic field that are confined to two dimensions in semiconducting materials. The synergy among the studies of trapped ultracold atoms and condensed matter systems may lead to more rapid advance on challenging fundamental scientific problems. While ultracold atoms and electronic systems are each interesting in their own right, understanding these systems in each case has the potential to lead to future computing and device technologies. This project also provides opportunities for advanced education and contributes to the highly skilled scientific workforce of the 21st century.