Strongly Correlated Quantum Gas with Single Site Addressability

最近在超冷量子气体领域取得了惊人的进展。在光学晶格中实现了非绝缘子态和最大纠缠态，并在BCS-BEC交叉中观察到费米子原子对的凝聚。有了这些系统，现在可以用原子物理实验来研究现代固态和量子信息物理的基本问题。目前，许多强相关量子气体实验的最大限制是缺乏高分辨率的光学访问和单晶格点的可寻址性。这个项目的目标是克服目前的限制，用一个新的实验系统来研究新的物理学，在这个实验系统中，光学晶格中的强相关量子气体可以用前所未有的光学分辨率和单晶格点寻址能力来探测和操纵。二维光学晶格电位将叠加到光学表面陷阱中，从而产生具有单点位寻址能力的亚微米晶格。这个新系统将用于实现和研究复杂的、强相关的量子气体，具有前所未有的控制和可及性。这项工作预计将对研究、教育和技术产生广泛影响。这项新实验将是世界范围内探索新型强相关物质量子态实验实现的重要一步。与此同时，PI正在开发一门新的高级光学课程，涵盖量子电子学和现代光学。研究生和本科生将根据他们在为实验开发复杂光学系统时获得的新见解，参与本课程的演讲演示。研究强相关量子态和光寻址能力的实验应该提供独特的机会来回答现代凝聚态和量子物理学中的突出问题。对这一基本物理学的更好理解可以导致量子信息的应用和新材料，例如具有更高临界温度的超导体。

Amazing progress has recently been made in the field of ultracold quantum gases. Mott insulator and maximally entangled quantum states have been realized in optical lattices, and condensation of pairs of fermionic atoms in the BCS-BEC crossover has been observed. With these systems it now becomes possible to study fundamental questions of modern solid state and quantum information physics with atomic physics experiments. Currently, the most significant limitation for many experiments on strongly correlated quantum gases is the lack of high-resolution optical access and single lattice site addressability. The goal for this project is to overcome current limitations and to study new physics with a novel experimental system, in which a strongly correlated quantum gas in an optical lattice can be probed and manipulated with unprecedented optical resolution and single lattice site addressability. Two-dimensional optical lattice potentials will be superimposed to an optical surface trap, resulting in sub micron lattices with single lattice site addressability. This new system will be used to realize and study complex, strongly correlated quantum gases with unprecedented control and accessibility. This work is expected to have broad impact on research, education and technology. The new experiment will be an important step in the world-wide quest for the experimental realization of novel strongly correlated quantum states of matter. Parallel to the research, the PI is developing a new advanced optics course covering quantum electronics and modern optics. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate by developing lecture demonstrations for this course based on new insights they got while developing complex optical systems for the experiment. Experiments studying strongly correlated quantum states with optical addressability should present unique opportunities to answer outstanding questions in modern condensed matter and quantum physics. A better understanding of this fundamental physics can lead to quantum information applications and to new materials, such as superconductors with higher critical temperatures.