Quantum Transport in Strongly Interacting Fermi Gases

这个程序实验研究了一个光学捕获，Li(6)原子的强相互作用费米气体作为通用量子输运的模型。这个系统提供了前所未有的机会来测试理论技术，跨越跨学科的界限，从凝聚态物质到核物质。现在，对超冷费米气体的测量将宇宙中最冷的物质与最热的物质结合起来，这是一种夸克-胶子等离子体，在金离子碰撞中产生，与大爆炸后微秒存在的物质状态相当。值得注意的是，在最近使用弦理论方法推导出的一个猜想的背景下，这两个系统都被发现是近乎“完美”的流体，具有相似的粘度与熵密度比，尽管温度相差19个数量级，密度相差25个数量级。提出的桌面实验影响了原子物理学以外的智力学科的强相互作用理论，包括材料科学和凝聚态物理（超导），核物理（核物质，夸克-胶子等离子体），高能物理（强相互作用的有效理论）和天体物理学（致密恒星物体）。这项提议的研究可能会有实际的影响，有助于确定是否有可能创造出基于普通流体的超高温近乎完美的导体，这种导体可以在室温以上工作，这种材料将使节能电力线和磁悬浮列车成为可能。出于这个原因，拟议的项目非常符合国家能源和材料科学的倡议。

This program experimentally studies an optically-trapped, strongly interacting Fermi gas of Li(6) atoms as a model of universal quantum transport. This system offers unprecedented opportunities to test theoretical techniques that cross interdisciplinary boundaries, from condensed matter to nuclear matter. Measurements in ultracold Fermi gases now unite the coldest matter in the universe to the hottest matter, a quark-gluon plasma produced in gold ion collisions, which is comparable to the state of matter that existed microseconds after the Big Bang. Remarkably, both systems are found to be nearly 'perfect' fluids, in the context of a recent conjecture derived using string theory methods, with a similar ratio of viscosity to entropy density, despite a difference in temperature of 19 orders of magnitude and a difference in density of 25 orders of magnitude. The proposed tabletop experiments impact theories of strong interactions in intellectual disciplines well outside atomic physics, including materials science and condensed matter physics (superconductivity), nuclear physics (nuclear matter, quark-gluon plasma), high-energy physics (effective theories of strong interactions), and astrophysics (compact stellar objects). The proposed research may have practical impact in helping to determine whether it is possible to create super-high temperature nearly perfect conductors based on normal fluids, which would operate far above room temperature--materials that would enable energy-saving power lines and magnetically levitated trains. For this reason, the proposed program fits very well into national initiatives on energy and materials science.