Superfluid Atomic Bosons, Fermions and Their Mixtures

超冷原子物理学领域一直在迅速发展，没有放缓的迹象。在这个奖项下，我们将对有关冷原子超流体性质的几个重要问题进行理论研究。这些项目具有根本性的重要性，同时也受到该领域最近实验进展的启发。我们将考虑冷原子系综的性质，它们所处的有效空间维度是调谐的。可调的空间维度在其他材料中是不容易实现的。但是对于冷原子，通过调整用来限制它们的捕获势的几何形状，这样的壮举可以在实验室中实现。我们还将考虑在适当排列的激光场的操纵下冷原子的新性质。在适当的条件下，激光束可以诱导合成电磁场，使中性原子的行为像带电粒子一样在电场和/或磁场中运动。这些研究项目与目前的实验有很大的相关性，其中一些实验正在由PI在莱斯大学的同事进行。这些问题在冷原子领域中涉及面很广，与凝聚态物理和非线性物理有着密切的联系。参与这些项目的学生将接受扎实的理论物理训练，包括分析方法和数值技术。这样的培训对他们将来从事科学和工程工作是非常有价值的。

The field of ultracold atomic physics has been progressing rapidly without signs of slowing down. Under this award, we will carry out a theoretical study of several important problems concerning the superfluid properties of cold atoms. These projects are of fundamental importance, and in the meantime are inspired by recent experimental progress in the field. We will consider the properties of cold atomic ensembles whose effective spatial dimensions in which they live are tuned. A tunable spatial dimension is not readily achievable in other materials. But for cold atoms, by adjusting the geometry of the trapping potential that is used to confine them, such a feat can be realized in the lab. We will also consider the novel properties of cold atoms under the manipulation of appropriately arranged laser fields. Under proper conditions, the laser beams can induce synthetic electromagnetic fields such that the neutral atoms behave like charged particles moving in electric and/or magnetic fields. These research projects are of great relevance to current experiments, some of which are being carried out by PI's colleagues at Rice University. These problems span a quite wide spectrum within the field of cold atoms with close ties to condensed matter physics and nonlinear physics. Students involved in these projects will receive a solid training in theoretical physics, including both analytical methods and numerical techniques. Such a training will be very valuable for their future career in science and engineering.