Low-Light-Level Nonlinear Optics via Recoil-Induced Resonance

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(公法111-5)资助的。拟议的研究计划的主要目标是研究激光与一组超冷原子之间的相互作用。这种相互作用导致原子的“自组织”，在那里它们组装成纳米级的结构。这些结构反过来又增强了激光和原子之间的相互作用，导致非线性光学相互作用强度显著增加。这项工作为量子尺度上的光-物质相互作用提供了新的理论和实验理解，并导致了存储和处理量子信息的新方法。该计划正在提高非线性光学设备的灵敏度，从而使设备变得更小、更节能。两名研究生正在接受跨学科环境以及光学物理和光子学领域的培训。杜克大学的研究人员正在与巴西联邦大学的原子物理和激光小组合作，这让学生们有了国际接触。首席调查员正在当地的小学和中学开展外联活动，以帮助吸引更多的人进入科学学科。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).The primary goal of the proposed research program is to study the interaction between laser beams and a collection of ultra-cold atoms. The mutual interaction leads to a "self organization" of the atoms, where they assemble into nanometer-scale structures. These structures, in turn, enhance the interaction between the laser beams and atoms, leading to dramatically increased nonlinear optical interaction strengths. This work is providing new theoretical and experimental understanding of light-matter interactions on the quantum scale and is leading to new methods for storing and processing quantum information. This program is improving the sensitivity of nonlinear optical devices, resulting in devices that are smaller and more energy efficient. Two graduate students are being trained in an interdisciplinary environment and in the enabling field of optical physics and photonics. The Duke researchers are collaborating with the atomic physics and laser group at the Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Brazil, which give an international exposure to the students. The Principal Investigator is undertaking outreach in the local area elementary and middle schools to help attract more people to the science disciplines.