Symmetric Many-Body Correlations in Atomic Ensembles

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Many-body correlations lie at the heart of complex systems at the microscopic level where the strange rules of quantum physics hold sway. Such systems occur naturally at all scales, ranging from fundamental particles, to atoms, molecules, and solid-state materials. In addition, such quantum complexity is now understood to be a resource for processing information in ways that are not possible in a world operating under the logic of classical physics. These dual aspects of many-body correlations - defining the richness in the natural world and opening the door to powerful new applications - are currently driving many explorations in atomic, molecular, and optical physics. This project will push the boundaries of this frontier. The research will enable new capabilities in manipulating and understanding quantum many-body systems and their complex dynamics, with potential applications in quantum information processing and precision measurement. The project will contribute to the knowledge base of quantum information science, and to the training of future scientists in this highly interdisciplinary field. Students will be involved in all aspects of the project, including education, research, and the dissemination of results. The project is an integral part of the NSF-funded Center for Quantum Information and Control. Activities include weekly group meetings, research seminars, and an annual research retreat that strengthens the connections between junior and senior members. Two key aspects of the problem of many-body complexity; namely, creating and detecting symmetric correlations, will be explored. The specific goals are to develop protocols for implementing general quantum control to optimally and robustly generate quantum correlations. Project personnel will study how a measurement, in conjunction with control, can be used to extract information about the initial correlations present in a many-body system. This builds on the group's expertise in continuous measurement tomography, used previously to reconstruct one-body correlations. They will extended these ideas to study the reconstruction of two-body correlations, and beyond. Project personnel will also explore the intricate relation between information gain, complexity of dynamics, and quantum backaction in the continuous measurement of many-body systems.