Presidential Young Investigator Award: Quantum Optics Experiments Utilizing Laser Cooling and Trapping (Physics)

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Research will be undertaken in the field of laser cooling and trapping, particularly in studying the interactions between atoms in this ultra-low energy sub-milli Kelvin temperature regime. These include direct (collisional) interactions such as associative ionization, radiative association, and charge exchange and indirect radiation effects such as super-radiance and radiation trapping. One project is to create a sample of ultra-cold dense Rydberg atoms and trap them using DC electric fields. It may be possible to observe a phase transition (Mott transition) from an insulator to a metal when the size of Rydberg atoms becomes a significant fraction of the average interatomic spacing.