Collaborative Research: Quantum Dynamics and Control with Ultracold Rydberg Atoms

普通观众摘要：原子之间的远程相互作用为许多可能的量子信息应用提供了基础。其中包括量子计算、密码学和超导等复杂现象的模拟。在过去的几十年里，理论探索揭示了这些相互作用中令人惊讶的新动态，直到最近才通过实验进行了探索。例如，在某些条件下，相互作用的原子系统可以被“局域化”，从而使系统的初始状态持续很长时间；这有可能成为量子存储设备。这个研究小组将使用激光、电场和磁场来研究量子动力学和控制，方法是探测冷却到绝对零度以上几亿分之一度的原子组。他们的项目是布林·莫尔和乌尔辛斯的合作项目，这两所小型国家文理学院都位于宾夕法尼亚州东南部，距离很近。一批不同的学生，特别是本科生，每年都会被雇用和培训。学生将参与研究的方方面面，包括实验实验室工作，在超级计算机上进行计算研究，撰写和发表期刊文章，以及在会议上发表报告。因此，他们将为进入STEM的研究生和职业生涯做好充分的准备。技术观众摘要：凝聚态物质和原子物理界对使用冷原子系统研究多体热化和局域化的量子动力学有相当大的兴趣。虽然在热化和局域化的研究中已经有了很多的理论和计算结果，但仍然只有几个实验系统在探索中。磁光陷阱中的超冷里德堡气体将用于探索里德堡电子的量子控制、偶极-偶极相互作用动力学和多体热化，实验和计算相结合。这些实验将试图在相互作用的多原子系统中创造和控制相干性。将发展一种类似回声的测量，它将阐明场调谐和总是共振的偶极-偶极相互作用在多体热化和可能的局域化中所起的作用。这些量子过程的优化将使用遗传算法或其他机器学习技术进行探索。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

General audience abstract:Long range interactions among atoms provide the foundation for many possible quantum information applications. These include quantum computing, cryptography, and simulation of complex phenomena like superconductivity. In the past few decades, theoretical explorations have revealed surprising new dynamics in these interactions that have only recently been probed by experiment. For example, under certain conditions an interacting system of atoms can be “localized” so that the initial state of the system persists for long times; this has potential for a quantum memory device. This research team will use lasers, electric fields, and magnetic fields to study quantum dynamics and control by probing groups of atoms cooled to a few hundred millionths of a degree above absolute zero. Their project is a collaborative effort between Bryn Mawr and Ursinus, both small, national liberal arts colleges located in close proximity in southeastern Pennsylvania. A diverse group of students, particularly undergraduates, will be employed and trained every year. The students will participate in all facets of the research, including experimental lab work, computational studies on a supercomputer, writing and publishing journal articles, and presenting at conferences. They will therefore be well-prepared for graduate school and careers in STEM.Technical audience abstract:There is considerable interest, from both the condensed matter and atomic physics communities, in using cold atom systems to study the quantum dynamics of many-body thermalization and localization. While there are many theoretical and computational results in the study of thermalization and localization, there are still only a few experimental systems being explored. Ultracold Rydberg gases in a magneto-optical trap will be used to explore quantum control of the Rydberg electron, dipole-dipole interaction dynamics, and many-body thermalization with a combination of experimental and computational efforts. These experiments will attempt to create and control coherence in interacting many-atom systems. An echo-like measurement will be developed, which will illuminate the role that field-tuned and always-resonant dipole-dipole interactions play in many-body thermalization and possible localization. Optimization of these quantum processes will be explored using a genetic algorithm or other machine learning techniques.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.