Synthetic Gauge Fields in Quantum Gases of Dysprosium

这项研究项目通过推动原子物理、量子光学和凝聚态物理的实验最先进的技术，探索了“强关联物质”(其行为与人们通过单独研究成分所获得的知识所预期的显著不同)的未知状态。此外，该小组积极与理论小组合作，开发了解这些新工具和复杂系统的框架。该项目的重点是在激光辐射的专门激发的影响下，由于元素镝的不寻常性质而可能产生的量子多体相的多样性。这项计划将建立实验能力，使用成功的机器来寻找这些阶段，该机器是根据美国国家科学基金会先前的职业资助组装的，用于激光冷却和捕获镝。这项研究涉及物理和技术技能，这些技能在各种重要的技术领域都有应用，最著名的是用于电信的激光和光子学，以及用于电子设备的先进新型固态材料。这项研究为研究生和本科生提供了在最先进的激光实验室接受教育的机会。几个小组已经实现了利用囚禁或光学晶格中的碱性原子以及一维自旋-轨道耦合的合成磁场。玻色气体中的自旋-轨道耦合可以产生条状有序的超流相和丰富的相图。这些成就宣告了探索量子气体中的量子多体物理的令人兴奋的新前沿，连接到凝聚态系统中的现有现象和挑战。该小组渴望通过使用镝原子的高自旋量子气体来追求在固态中几乎或根本无法实现的全新现象。在利用Dy-S大磁偶极矩的背景下，Dy在实现异常的、强关联的状态和奇异的旋量相方面具有几个优点，而不是那些被广泛讨论的相。Dy原子的大自旋和窄的光学跃迁应该允许产生比碱中的合成磁场大一个数量级的合成磁场，但加热速度会显著降低。因此，在Dy中创建量子霍尔态可能比在目前使用的碱原子中创建量子霍尔态更可行。

This research project explores uncharted regimes of 'strongly correlated matter' (matter which behaves notably differently from what one would expect based on knowledge gained by studying only the constituents in isolation) by pushing the experimental state-of-the-art in atomic physics, quantum optics, and condensed matter physics. In addition, the group actively collaborates with theoretical groups to develop frameworks for understanding these novel tools and complex systems. The project focuses on the diversity of quantum many-body phases that may arise from the unusual properties of the element dysprosium under the influence of specialized excitation by laser radiation. This program will build the experimental capability to seek these phases using the successful machine assembled under a prior NSF CAREER grant for laser cooling and trapping dysprosium. The research concerns physics and technical skills that find application in a variety of significant areas of technology, most notably lasers and photonics for telecommunications and advanced novel solid-state materials for electronic devices. The research provides opportunities for graduate and undergraduate student education in a state-of-the-art laser lab. Several groups have realized a synthetic magnetic field using alkali atoms either in traps or in optical lattices as well as one-dimensional spin-orbit coupling. Spin-orbit coupling in a Bose gas can lead to superfluid phases with stripe order and a rich phase diagram. These achievements announce an exciting new frontier for exploring quantum many-body physics in quantum gases, connecting to existing phenomena and challenges in condensed matter systems. The group aspires to pursue brand-new phenomena barely, or perhaps not at all, realizable in the solid state by employing high-spin quantum gases of dysprosium atoms. Dysprosium (Dy) offers several advantages for realizing unusual, strongly correlated states and exotic spinor phases beyond those phases widely discussed in the context of utilizing dysprosium?s large magnetic dipole moment. The large spin and narrow optical transitions of Dy atoms should allow for the generation of synthetic magnetic fields one order of magnitude larger than those in the alkalis, but with considerable reduction of the heating rate. Consequently, creating quantum Hall states in Dy may be more practicable than in the currently employed alkali atoms.