Novel Quantum Phase Transitions and Non-Equilibrium Dynamics in Lattice-Confined Spinor Condensates

该项目的目标是应用钠旋量玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚（BEC）来研究超流性，强相关性和量子磁性的相互作用和应用。玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体是一种超冷气体，其中所有原子的空间自由度都只有一个集体波函数。由于额外的自旋自由度，这些BEC构成了一个迷人的集体量子系统，对自旋，密度，温度和系统的维度等参数提供了前所未有的控制程度。该项目的目标是既有根本利益，以促进我们对量子物理的理解，并具有技术意义。除了这些具体的研究目标，该项目提供了机会，通过参与研究项目的本科生和研究生整合研究和教学。主要研究者（PI）将奋进扩大代表性不足的群体的参与，包括美洲原住民学生，物理学女性和潜在的“第一代”大学生。PI将为当地高中教师及其学生组织研讨会，以获得最先进的激光冷却技术的实践经验，并开发与学生水平相匹配的物理项目。该项目将加强该地区科学教育的基础设施，并鼓励更多学生从事科学事业。该项目将对限制在三维光学晶格和微波敷料场中的反铁磁钠旋量BEC进行重要研究，即，研究一阶超流到Mott绝缘体量子相变的动力学，揭示由自旋相关和自旋无关相互作用之间的竞争驱动的量子相位复兴光谱，精确确定旋量气体的各种散射长度，并展示自旋相关三体相互作用的实验特征。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project is targeted towards applying a sodium spinor Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) to study the interplay and applications of superfluidity, strong correlations, and quantum magnetism. BECs are ultra-cold gases in which all atoms have a single collective wavefunction for their spatial degrees of freedom. With an additional spin degree of freedom, these BECs constitute a fascinating collective quantum system offering an unprecedented degree of control over such parameters as spin, density, temperature, and the dimensionality of the system. The aims of this project are both of fundamental interest for advancing our understanding of quantum physics, and of technological significance. Beyond these specific research goals, this project provides opportunities to integrate research and teaching by involving undergraduate and graduate students in research projects. The principal investigator (PI) will endeavor to broaden the participation of under-represented groups, including Native American students, women in physics, and potential "first-generation" college students. The PI will organize workshops for local high school teachers and their students to get hands-on experience with state-of-the-art laser cooling techniques, and to develop physics projects matched to the students' level. This project will enhance the infrastructure for science education in the region and encourage more students to pursue a career in science.This project will perform important studies on an antiferromagnetic sodium spinor BEC confined in three-dimensional optical lattices and microwave dressing fields, i.e., investigate the dynamics of first-order superfluid to Mott-insulator quantum phase transitions, reveal a quantum-phase-revival spectroscopy driven by a competition between spin-dependent and spin-independent interactions, precisely determine various scattering lengths of spinor gases, and demonstrate an experimental signature of spin-dependent three-body interactions. Advantages provided by a bichromatic optical super-lattice will also be explored.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.