MRI: Development of an Ultracold Potassium Rydberg Source for Experiments in Quantum Optics and Many-Body Physics

MRI：开发用于量子光学和多体物理实验的超冷钾里德堡源

• 批准号: 1126599
• 负责人: Charles Conover
• 金额: $ 15.76万
• 依托单位: Colby College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-09-01 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1126599&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Development; Ultracold; Potassium; Rydberg

This grant supports the development of an instrument to produce dense, cold, gases of potassium atoms in highly excited quantum mechanical orbits (Rydberg states). The atomic gases will have temperatures less than a thousandth of a degree above absolute zero. In highly excited states the electrons are very far from the nucleus, and are highly susceptible to interactions with external electric fields and other atoms.Because of their remarkable properties, highly-excited atoms have the potential to provide insights into the dynamics of an array of quantum mechanical systems. The simple properties of highly excited potassium atoms will allow experiments that elucidate fundamental quantum processes of interest in chemical quantum control and in quantum information science. The strong, long-range, and non-isotropic nature of the interactions between atoms and measurements of the dynamics of many-atom systems is connected to ongoing experiments in condensed matter physics that employ ultracold samples of atoms and molecules.The experiments that will be enabled by the instrument will address two overriding questions. The first question is how simple quantum systems behave when driven by strong fields. The second question is how energy transfer between atoms and molecules can be assisted or frustrated by light while in the presence of complex many-body interactions. The unique instrument will allow transformative research at a small college through experiments that complement research done in other atomic and molecular species at other institutions worldwide.Developing the instrument involves design and construction of three distinct components to be added to a working system that produces cold ground-state atoms. The main goals of the development project are the following: (1) stabilizing lasers for excitation of the potassium electrons; (2) developing and constructing a structure to apply controlled electric fields to the atoms; and (3) developing and constructing a detector that can determine the energy levels of the individual atoms in the apparatus. Specifically, the following components will be added to the PI's existing potassium magneto optical trap (MOT): (1) stabilized ultraviolet and infrared lasers for stepwise excitation of ultracold potassium atoms from the ground-state to Rydberg states via the intermediate 5p level; (2) a radiofrequency transmission line to apply fields to the atoms that are compatible with the ultra-high-vacuum MOT; and (3) a state-selective field-ionization detector that does not perturb the Rydberg states.The project involves extensive student training. The project will impact the education of many undergraduate students at Colby College both through their direct participation in instrument development and in classes affected by the project. The PI has been effective at integrating undergraduate students of all levels into his research program. Undergraduates working on the development of the instrument will receive training in state-of-the-art atomic physics and expertise in lasers, electronics, optical instrumentation, vacuum and radiofrequency technology, and computerized data acquisition and control systems.

该基金支持开发一种仪器，以在高度激发的量子力学轨道（里德伯态）中产生密集，寒冷的钾原子气体。 原子气体的温度将低于绝对零度以上千分之一度。 在高激发态下，电子离原子核很远，很容易受到外部电场和其他原子的影响。高激发态的原子由于其显著的性质，有可能为量子力学系统的动力学研究提供新的视角。 高激发态钾原子的简单性质将允许实验阐明化学量子控制和量子信息科学中感兴趣的基本量子过程。原子间强、长程和非各向同性的相互作用以及多原子系统动力学的测量与凝聚态物理学中正在进行的实验有关，这些实验使用了原子和分子的超冷样品。该仪器将实现的实验将解决两个最重要的问题。第一个问题是，简单的量子系统在强场驱动下会如何表现。 第二个问题是在复杂的多体相互作用中，光如何帮助或阻碍原子和分子之间的能量转移。 这台独特的仪器将使一所小型大学能够通过实验进行变革性研究，补充世界各地其他机构在其他原子和分子物种方面所做的研究。开发这台仪器涉及设计和建造三个不同的组件，这些组件将被添加到一个产生冷基态原子的工作系统中。 开发项目的主要目标如下：（1）稳定激发钾电子的激光器;（2）开发和建造一种结构，向原子施加受控电场;（3）开发和建造一种探测器，可以确定仪器中单个原子的能级。 具体而言，将在PI现有的钾磁光阱（MOT）上增加以下组件：（1）稳定的紫外和红外激光器，用于通过中间5 p能级将超冷钾原子从基态逐步激发到里德堡态;（2）射频传输线，用于向原子施加与超高真空MOT兼容的场;以及（3）一个不干扰里德伯态的态选择场电离探测器。该项目涉及广泛的学生培训。该项目将影响科尔比学院的许多本科生的教育，无论是通过他们直接参与仪器开发和受该项目影响的课程。 PI一直有效地将各级本科生融入他的研究计划。从事仪器开发的本科生将接受最先进的原子物理学培训，并获得激光、电子、光学仪器、真空和射频技术以及计算机化数据采集和控制系统方面的专门知识。