Many-Body Entanglement for Precision Measurement

原子钟是人类有史以来制造的最精确的装置，它们有许多重要的技术应用。该项目旨在显着提高原子钟和原子干涉仪等其他量子设备的精度。它将通过增进对量子力学及其潜在技术应用的理解来促进科学进步。在这个项目中，研究和教育目标将通过对本科生和研究生进行原子物理研究方法的培训来统一。 该项目还将有助于增加对物理的参与；特别是，三名来自科学背景的学生将完成该项目的博士学位。物理学的一个主要前沿是多体系统的非经典状态的控制。这种控制将使新型量子设备成为可能，并通过纠缠将原子精度测量提高到超出标准量子极限。目前的项目重点是利用光来操纵和纠缠由数千到数百万个原子组成的原子系统。主要目标是纯粹通过光学冷却来制造量子简并玻色和费米气体，利用光产生许多原子的高度纠缠态，并证明原子干涉仪的工作远远超出标准量子极限并接近海森堡极限。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Atomic clocks are the most accurate devices ever made by mankind, and they have many important technological applications. This project aims to significantly improve the precision of atomic clocks and other quantum devices such as atom interferometers. It will promote the progress of science by advancing the understanding of quantum mechanics and its potential technological applications. In this project, research and educational goals will be united by training undergraduate and graduate students in atomic physics research methods. This project will also help to increase the participation in physics; in particular, three students from underrepresented backgrounds in science will complete their Ph.D.s working on this project.A major frontier of physics is the control of non-classical states of many-body systems. Such control will enable novel quantum devices, and improve atomic precision measurements beyond the standard quantum limit through entanglement. The present project focusses on using light to manipulate and entangle atomic systems consisting of thousands to millions of atoms. The major goals are to create quantum degenerate Bose and Fermi gases purely by optical cooling, to generate highly entangled states of many atoms using light, and to demonstrate atom interferometers operating well beyond the standard quantum limit, and close to the Heisenberg limit.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.