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Mott绝缘体和最大纠缠量子态，并观察到BCS-BEC交叉中费米子原子对的凝聚。有了这些系统，现在就有可能通过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，许多强关联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格点寻址能力。该项目的目标是克服目前的限制，利用一种新颖的实验系统来研究新的物理，在该系统中，可以以前所未有的光学分辨率和单格点寻址能力来探测和操纵光学晶格中的强关联量子气体。将二维光学晶格势叠加到光学表面陷阱上，得到具有单格点寻址能力的亚微米晶格。这一新系统将用于实现和研究复杂的、强关联的量子气体，具有前所未有的可控性和可及性。这项工作预计将对研究、教育和技术产生广泛影响。这项新的实验将是世界范围内寻求通过实验实现物质的新的强关联量子态的重要一步。在这项研究的同时，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的光学系统时获得的新见解，通过开发本课程的讲课演示来参与。研究具有光学寻址能力的强关联量子态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中的突出问题。对这一基本物理的更好理解可以导致量子信息应用和新材料的出现，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.