CAREER: Exploring exotic matter through the quantum manipulation of dipolar atoms

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This CAREER award supports an experimental program to create and study exotic forms of matter by developing the enabling technology for the quantum manipulation of dipolar atoms. Ultracold gases of highly magnetic atoms, such as dysprosium, offer opportunities to explore strongly correlated matter in the presence of long-range interactions in a manner difficult to achieve in other experimental settings. Techniques will be developed to perform the first laser cooling and trapping---and subsequent confinement in optical lattices---of dysprosium. This achievement will lead to the investigation of exotic states of matter that, in several cases, underlie proposed descriptions of poorly understood, though technologically relevant, condensed matter materials that do not obey standard Fermi liquid theory. Specifically, investigation of the ground states of quantum liquid crystals using fermionic Dy, as well as explorations of the inhomogeneous phases predicted by the extended Bose-Hubbard (EBH) model, will be possible through the cooling of Dy to degeneracy. Looking beyond quantum liquid crystal and EBH physics, developing ultracold Dy technology will lead to the exploitation of both Dy's telecom qubit transition and Dy's colossal magnetic moment for the realization of telecom-band quantum information processing and the development of ultra-high sensitivity, high-resolution atom chip microscopy of exotic condensed matter systems.Complementing the research program is a plan to teach physics through everyday technology: Combining the theme of GPS technology with the technical expertise drawn from this research program, core physics principles will be taught to undergraduate physics majors and high school "teacher leaders" through the development of a laboratory module on atomic clocks. This module will serve three educational missions: contributing to the improvement of K-12 student achievement in science by training high school teacher leaders via the EnLiST NSF Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; augmenting the PHYS 403 Modern Experimental Physics lab that introduces upper-level undergraduate physics majors to skills and topics required for cutting-edge careers in science and technology; and providing hands-on laboratory experience for participants in a Master's Science Teaching Program, an upcoming accreditation program for Illinois teachers provided by the Department of Physics.