RII Track-4:FAST: Numerical Simulations of Bose-Einstein Condensates in Microgravity (NumeriCAL)

RII Track-4：FAST：微重力下玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体的数值模拟 (NumeriCAL)

• 批准号: 2132160
• 负责人: Christopher Herdman
• 金额: $ 23.19万
• 依托单位: Middlebury College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-01-15 至 2025-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2132160&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RII; Track; FAST; Numerical; Simulations

When cooled to extremely low temperatures, certain types of atoms can form a quantum mechanical phase of matter known as a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC). In a BEC, the wave-like nature of matter becomes macroscopically apparent, as a large number of atoms occupy the same quantum mechanical state. Experiments have demonstrated the macroscopic quantum mechanical behavior of BECs, including the interference of matter-waves, quantum superpositions of matter on macroscopic length scales, and quantum mechanical vortices. BECs have the potential to be a platform for quantum technologies such as ultra-sensitive quantum detectors and quantum computers. NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) is a unique experimental system that allows for BEC experiments to be performed on the International Space Station. Recently, CAL has been used to create and manipulate BECs in the microgravity environment of Earth's orbit. This project aims to further the characterization, understanding, and development of these fundamental experiments by developing numerical simulations of the BECs formed in CAL experiments. This work will be done in collaboration with undergraduate student trainees and the CAL experimental team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. These simulations will facilitate future CAL experiments in probing fundamental physics in ways that are not achievable in terrestrial experiments. This project will develop numerical simulations of ultracold atom experiments performed in NASA's Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) on the International Space Station. The unique experimental capability of the CAL instrument enables probing quantum many-body systems in new regimes of temperatures and densities and allows for matter wave interferometry with higher sensitivity than can be achieved in terrestrial experiments. Recently, CAL has been used to create and manipulate Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC) in the microgravity environment of earth’s orbit. Future experiments involving CAL and related technologies could include high precision tests of fundamental physics such as searches for dark energy, tests of Einstein's equivalence principle, and gravitational wave detectors. However, the compact design and atom-chip based technology used in CAL can lead to undesired field gradients and local perturbations to the trapping potential, which can limit the range of accessible temperatures and lead to asymmetries and fragmentation of the BEC. The PI will develop path integral Monte Carlo simulations of trapped ultracold bosons that model CAL experiments. These simulations will help characterize the CAL experimental system, interpret experimental data, and develop future experiments. Numerical studies will address fragmentation of the BEC, limitations to the accessible temperatures & densities, immiscibility in binary BEC mixtures, and loss of symmetry in bubble-BEC experiments. These numerical simulations will aid the CAL experimental team in pushing the limit of their experiments and advance investigations of fundamental physics.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.

当冷却到极低的温度时，某些类型的原子可以形成物质的量子力学相，称为玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚（BEC）。在BEC中，物质的波动性质在宏观上变得明显，因为大量的原子占据相同的量子力学状态。实验已经证明了BEC的宏观量子力学行为，包括物质波的干涉，宏观长度尺度上物质的量子叠加和量子力学涡旋。BEC有可能成为量子技术的平台，如超灵敏量子探测器和量子计算机。NASA的冷原子实验室（CAL）是一个独特的实验系统，允许在国际空间站上进行BEC实验。最近，CAL已被用于在地球轨道的微重力环境中创建和操纵BEC。该项目旨在通过开发CAL实验中形成的BEC的数值模拟来进一步表征，理解和发展这些基础实验。这项工作将与本科生学员和美国宇航局喷气推进实验室的CAL实验小组合作完成。这些模拟将有助于未来的CAL实验，以在陆地实验中无法实现的方式探索基础物理。该项目将对在国际空间站上的美国宇航局冷原子实验室（CAL）进行的超冷原子实验进行数值模拟。CAL仪器独特的实验能力使探测量子多体系统在新的制度的温度和密度，并允许物质波干涉测量具有更高的灵敏度比可以实现在地面实验。近年来，CAL已被用于在地球轨道微重力环境下产生和操纵玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体（BEC）。未来涉及CAL和相关技术的实验可能包括基础物理的高精度测试，如暗能量的搜索，爱因斯坦等效原理的测试和引力波探测器。然而，CAL中使用的紧凑设计和基于原子芯片的技术可能导致不期望的场梯度和对捕获电势的局部扰动，这可能限制可达到的温度的范围并导致BEC的不对称和碎裂。PI将开发用于模拟CAL实验的捕获超冷玻色子的路径积分蒙特卡罗模拟。这些模拟将有助于表征CAL实验系统，解释实验数据，并开发未来的实验。数值研究将解决碎裂的BEC，限制可访问的温度密度，不可分割的二元BEC混合物，和泡沫BEC实验中的对称性损失。这些数值模拟将帮助CAL实验团队推动他们的实验极限和推进基础物理学的研究。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。