Scattering in Ultracold Samples

超冷原子是进行精确测量的极好探针。由于超冷原子的速度非常慢（温度现在达到绝对零度以上几十亿分之一度），它们对弱相互作用非常敏感。在过去的几年中，原子和离子（即失去或获得额外电子的原子）操纵的重大进展导致了原子，分子和光学（AMO）物理学的革命，发现了物质的新阶段，应用范围从更精确的时钟到量子计算和密码学。这项研究计划在我们理解并最终控制超冷原子和离子之间的相互作用方面展开了新的努力。例如，这项研究的目的之一是操纵单个粒子，以便电子在离子和中性原子之间随意跳跃（或不跳跃）。这种程度的控制取决于对粒子之间及其与环境之间的微小相互作用的精确理解（如磁场），并将影响更精确的时间标准的研究，以及我们设计模拟非常复杂的系统的能力，如量子扩散或超导性。尽管总是很难“预测”任何研究计划的更广泛影响，更好地理解包含少数带电粒子的超冷系统不仅将影响新频率标准和量子信息处理的发展，而且还将影响与其他科学领域相关的许多方面（结果的应用将与等离子体物理学，凝聚态物理学，化学物理学，信息科学等有关）。此外，这项活动将促进从K-12到研究生水平的各级教学和培训，从而有助于我们为未来保持一支训练有素的劳动力队伍的目标。

Ultracold atoms are excellent probes with which to make precise measurements. Because ultracold atoms are very slow (with temperature now reaching a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero), they are very sensitive to weak interactions. During the past few years, major progress in the manipulation of atoms and ions (i.e. atoms that lost or gained extra electrons) has led to a revolution in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics, with discoveries of new phases on matter, and application ranging from more precise clocks to quantum computing and cryptography. This research program initiates a new effort in our understanding and, ultimately, control of the interaction between ultracold atoms and ions. For example, one aim of this research is to manipulate individual particles so that an electron jumps (or not) at will between an ion and a neutral atoms. This level of control depends on a precise understanding of the minute interactions between particles, and with their environment (such as magnetic fields), and will impact research for more precise time-standards, and our ability to engineer setups mimicking very complex systems, such as quantum diffusion or superconductivity.Although it is always difficult to "predict" the broader impact of any research program, a better understanding of ultracold systems containing a few charged particles will impact not only the development of new frequency standards and quantum information processing, but also many aspects relevant to other fields in science (the application of the results will be relevant to plasma physics, condensed matter physics, chemical physics, information science, etc.). In addition, this activity will promote teaching and training at all levels, from K-12 to the graduate level, and thus help in our goal of maintaining a highly trained workforce for the future.