Collaborative Research: Quantum Dynamics and Control with Ultracold Rydberg Atoms

摘要：原子间的远距离相互作用为许多可能的量子信息应用提供了基础。其中包括量子计算、密码学和模拟超导等复杂现象。在过去的几十年里，理论探索揭示了这些相互作用中令人惊讶的新动态，这些动态直到最近才被实验探测到。例如，在某些条件下，原子相互作用的系统可以被“定域”，从而使系统的初始状态持续很长时间；这有可能成为量子存储设备。该研究小组将利用激光、电场和磁场，通过探测冷却到绝对零度以上几亿分之一度的原子群，研究量子动力学和控制。他们的项目是Bryn Mawr和Ursinus之间的合作成果，这两所小型的国家文理学院都位于宾夕法尼亚州东南部。每年都会雇佣和培训各种各样的学生，尤其是本科生。学生将参与研究的各个方面，包括实验实验室工作，在超级计算机上进行计算研究，撰写和发表期刊文章，以及在会议上发言。因此，他们将为研究生院和STEM领域的职业生涯做好充分准备。摘要：凝聚态和原子物理界对使用冷原子系统研究多体热化和局域化的量子动力学非常感兴趣。虽然在热化和局部化的研究中有许多理论和计算结果，但仍然只有少数实验系统正在探索。磁光阱中的超冷里德堡气体将通过实验和计算的结合来探索里德堡电子的量子控制、偶极子-偶极子相互作用动力学和多体热化。这些实验将尝试在相互作用的多原子系统中创造和控制相干性。将开发一种类似回声的测量方法，这将阐明场调谐和总是共振的偶极子-偶极子相互作用在多体热化和可能的定位中所起的作用。这些量子过程的优化将使用遗传算法或其他机器学习技术进行探索。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

General audience abstract:Long range interactions among atoms provide the foundation for many possible quantum information applications. These include quantum computing, cryptography, and simulation of complex phenomena like superconductivity. In the past few decades, theoretical explorations have revealed surprising new dynamics in these interactions that have only recently been probed by experiment. For example, under certain conditions an interacting system of atoms can be “localized” so that the initial state of the system persists for long times; this has potential for a quantum memory device. This research team will use lasers, electric fields, and magnetic fields to study quantum dynamics and control by probing groups of atoms cooled to a few hundred millionths of a degree above absolute zero. Their project is a collaborative effort between Bryn Mawr and Ursinus, both small, national liberal arts colleges located in close proximity in southeastern Pennsylvania. A diverse group of students, particularly undergraduates, will be employed and trained every year. The students will participate in all facets of the research, including experimental lab work, computational studies on a supercomputer, writing and publishing journal articles, and presenting at conferences. They will therefore be well-prepared for graduate school and careers in STEM.Technical audience abstract:There is considerable interest, from both the condensed matter and atomic physics communities, in using cold atom systems to study the quantum dynamics of many-body thermalization and localization. While there are many theoretical and computational results in the study of thermalization and localization, there are still only a few experimental systems being explored. Ultracold Rydberg gases in a magneto-optical trap will be used to explore quantum control of the Rydberg electron, dipole-dipole interaction dynamics, and many-body thermalization with a combination of experimental and computational efforts. These experiments will attempt to create and control coherence in interacting many-atom systems. An echo-like measurement will be developed, which will illuminate the role that field-tuned and always-resonant dipole-dipole interactions play in many-body thermalization and possible localization. Optimization of these quantum processes will be explored using a genetic algorithm or other machine learning techniques.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.