A Program in Ultra-Low Temperature Atomic Physics

新型磁性材料在许多应用中都很重要。然而，磁性仍然有未解之谜，特别是在涉及强相互作用和粒子之间强相关性的系统中。研究磁性材料的一种方法是在尽可能简单的、具有良好控制和表征的系统中实现磁性现象。最简单的系统是超冷原子，它是非常稀的气体（比空气稀薄一百万倍）。在非常低的温度下，这些气体可以表现得像液体、固体、金属、超导体或磁铁。麻省理工学院的这项工作研究了三种不同系统中的量子磁性：光学晶格中的双组分玻色和费米气体，以及自由空间或光学晶格中离域费米子的所谓流动铁磁性。这项工作解决了多体物理前沿的重要问题，并将对原子物理、凝聚态物理和多体理论的未来研究产生影响。更广泛的影响。利用超冷原子对量子磁性的研究刺激了强相互作用玻色和费米气体的理论工作，并将推进我们对宏观量子系统和磁性材料的理解。对磁性和超流动性的更深入了解可能会在未来导致新材料和新器件的出现。这项工作为一些本科生、研究生和博士后提供了研究训练，并为他们在技术和科学领域的成功职业生涯做好准备。以前的学生和博士后继续在科学和技术领域找到杰出的职位。所有的研究都将在校园内进行，并将通过本科生的研究机会、实验室参观，以及在讲座中作为物理基本概念的说明，完全融入教学和教育中。通过他的公开演讲，凯特勒教授接触到更多的普通观众。他定期为高中生演讲，例如在麻省理工学院的年度RSI（研究暑期学院）项目，麻省理工学院的TOPS（物理科学教学机会）项目，以及在访问高中期间。Ketterle教授发起的另一项外联活动是原子量子流体虚拟期刊。

Novel magnetic materials are important for many applications. However, magnetism still has unresolved mysteries, especially in systems involving strong interactions and strong correlations between the particles. One approach to study magnetic materials is to realize magnetic phenomena in the simplest possible systems which are well controlled and well characterized. The simplest systems are ultracold atoms, which are very dilute gases (a million times less dilute than air). At very low temperatures, these gases can behave like liquids, solids, metals, superconductors, or magnets. The work at MIT studies quantum magnetism in three different systems: Two component Bose and Fermi gases in optical lattices, and so-called itinerant ferromagnetism of delocalized fermions in free space or in optical lattices. This work addresses important questions at the frontier of many-body physics and will have impact on future research in atomic physics, condensed matter physics and many-body theory.Broader impact. Research on quantum magnetism using ultracold atoms stimulates theoretical work on strongly interacting Bose and Fermi gases and will advance our understanding of macroscopic quantum systems and of magnetic materials. A deeper understanding of magnetism and superfluidity may lead to new materials and novel devices in the future. This work provides research training for several undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs, and prepares them for successful careers in technology and science. Former students and postdocs continue to find distinguished positions in the area of science and technology. All the research will be performed on campus and will be fully integrated in teaching and education, through research opportunities for undergraduates, lab tours, and by being used in lectures as illustrations for basic concepts in physics. Through his public lectures, Prof. Ketterle reaches out to more general audiences. He regularly gives talks for high school students, e.g. at the annual RSI (Research Summer Institute) program at MIT, at the TOPS (Teaching opportunities in the physical sciences) program at MIT, and during visits to high schools. An additional outreach activity initiated by Prof. Ketterle is the Virtual Journal of Atomic Quantum Fluids.