Dynamical Lattices, Gauge Fields, and Generalized Light Forces

原子和分子的冷气体的实验发展导致了一组新的系统，可以显示复杂的集体行为。在超冷状态下（当德布罗意布罗意波长超过粒子间距时），这些气体必须用量子理论来描述，新形式的集体量子行为可能会出现。超冷气体允许对多粒子系统的相干量子动力学进行前所未有的控制。最近的实验发展开辟了新的方法，其中冷气体可以控制，通过使用光印合成规范场。这些规范场允许冷的中性原子经历有效的磁场，并已被证明会导致非零范围的粒子间相互作用，并提供从内部原子态光谱测量原子运动的方法。此外，光致规范场理论的发展已经定性地确定了作用于粒子的新形式的光力，在这项工作中，我们探索了这些实验能力和理论发展的最新进展所带来的新机会。我们将调查：（1）强相互作用原子在动态调制光晶格和规范场作用下的集体量子行为;（2）耦合到量子规范场的强相互作用原子的集体量子行为;（3）原子和分子上的广义光力。寻找原子和分子的冷却策略;以及开发用光操纵原子/分子的新方法。特别是，该研究将探索和阐明扩展多体量子系统的相干量子控制的新可能性。

The experimental development of cold gases of atoms and molecules has led to a novel set of systems which can show complex collective behaviour. In the ultracold regime (when the de Broglie wavelength exceeds the interparticle spacing) these gases must be described by quantum theory, and new forms of collective quantum behaviour can emerge.Ultracold gases allow unprecedented control of the coherent quantum dynamics of many-particle systems. Recent experimental developments have opened up new ways in which cold gases can be controlled, by using light to imprint synthetic gauge fields. These gauge fields allow cold neutral atoms to experience effective magnetic fields, and have been shown to lead to inter-particle interactions of non-zero range and to provide ways to measure the atomic motion from spectroscopy of internal atomic states. Furthermore, the development of theories of optically induced gauge fields has identified qualitatively new forms of light-force acting on particles.In this work we explore new opportunities that are presented by these recent advances in experimental capabilities and recent theoretical developments. We shall investigate: (1) the collective quantum behaviour of strongly interacting atoms subjected to dynamically modulated optical lattices and gauge fields: (2) Collective quantum behaviour of strongly interacting atoms coupled to a quantum gauge field; and (3) Generalized light forces on atoms and molecules.The scientific goals of the research include: uncovering and describing new forms of collective behaviour of non-equilibrium many body systems; finding cooling strategies for atoms and molecules; and developing new ways to manipulate atoms/molecules with light. In particular, the research will explore and illuminate new possibilities for the coherent quantum control of extended many-body quantum systems.