Synthetic Gauge Fields in Quantum Gases of Dysprosium

该研究项目通过推动原子物理学、量子光学和凝聚态物理学的实验技术，探索了未知的“强相关物质”（与人们通过孤立研究成分所获得的知识所期望的截然不同的物质）。此外，该小组积极与理论小组合作，开发框架，以理解这些新颖的工具和复杂的系统。该项目的重点是量子多体相的多样性，这可能是由于镝元素在激光辐射的特殊激发影响下的不寻常性质而产生的。该项目将利用美国国家科学基金会（NSF）先前为激光冷却和捕获镝提供的CAREER拨款组装的成功机器，建立实验能力，以寻求这些阶段。这项研究涉及的物理和技术技能在各种重要的技术领域都有应用，最著名的是用于电信的激光和光子学，以及用于电子设备的先进新型固态材料。该研究为研究生和本科生提供了在最先进的激光实验室接受教育的机会。几个小组已经实现了在阱或光学晶格中使用碱原子以及一维自旋轨道耦合的合成磁场。玻色气体中的自旋轨道耦合可以导致具有条纹有序和丰富相图的超流体相。这些成就为探索量子气体中的量子多体物理开辟了一个令人兴奋的新领域，并将其与凝聚态系统中的现有现象和挑战联系起来。该小组渴望通过使用镝原子的高自旋量子气体来追求在固态中几乎无法实现或根本无法实现的全新现象。镝（Dy）除了在利用镝的背景下广泛讨论的那些相之外，在实现不寻常的、强相关的态和奇异旋量相方面提供了几个优势。S大磁偶极矩。Dy原子的大自旋和窄光学跃迁应该允许产生比碱中大一个数量级的合成磁场，但加热速率大大降低。因此，在Dy中创建量子霍尔态可能比在目前使用的碱原子中更可行。

This research project explores uncharted regimes of 'strongly correlated matter' (matter which behaves notably differently from what one would expect based on knowledge gained by studying only the constituents in isolation) by pushing the experimental state-of-the-art in atomic physics, quantum optics, and condensed matter physics. In addition, the group actively collaborates with theoretical groups to develop frameworks for understanding these novel tools and complex systems. The project focuses on the diversity of quantum many-body phases that may arise from the unusual properties of the element dysprosium under the influence of specialized excitation by laser radiation. This program will build the experimental capability to seek these phases using the successful machine assembled under a prior NSF CAREER grant for laser cooling and trapping dysprosium. The research concerns physics and technical skills that find application in a variety of significant areas of technology, most notably lasers and photonics for telecommunications and advanced novel solid-state materials for electronic devices. The research provides opportunities for graduate and undergraduate student education in a state-of-the-art laser lab. Several groups have realized a synthetic magnetic field using alkali atoms either in traps or in optical lattices as well as one-dimensional spin-orbit coupling. Spin-orbit coupling in a Bose gas can lead to superfluid phases with stripe order and a rich phase diagram. These achievements announce an exciting new frontier for exploring quantum many-body physics in quantum gases, connecting to existing phenomena and challenges in condensed matter systems. The group aspires to pursue brand-new phenomena barely, or perhaps not at all, realizable in the solid state by employing high-spin quantum gases of dysprosium atoms. Dysprosium (Dy) offers several advantages for realizing unusual, strongly correlated states and exotic spinor phases beyond those phases widely discussed in the context of utilizing dysprosium?s large magnetic dipole moment. The large spin and narrow optical transitions of Dy atoms should allow for the generation of synthetic magnetic fields one order of magnitude larger than those in the alkalis, but with considerable reduction of the heating rate. Consequently, creating quantum Hall states in Dy may be more practicable than in the currently employed alkali atoms.