Description:

Abstract: A long-standing theme of atomic physics is a continual striving to gain ever greater control over single quantum objects, starting with their internal degrees of freedom and now extending to their external degrees of freedom. Having learned to exert nearly complete control over single atoms, what are the new frontiers? One direction is to now exert similar levels of control over the interactions and correlations between atoms, with examples including quantum computing with trapped ions and quantum many-body simulations in degenerate atomic gases. Our lab has been asking the question: is it also possible to exploit atom-atom correlations and entanglement to advance the field of precision measurement beyond the single-atom paradigm that dominates the field of precision measurements with atoms and molecules? Using laser-cooled rubidium and strontium atoms inside of high finesse optical cavities, we have explored this question along two fronts: surpassing the standard quantum limit on quantum phase estimation by a factor of 60 and overcoming thermal limits on laser frequency stability. If time permits, I will also discuss the emergence of cavity-mediated spinexchange interactions between the atoms, and the observation of a dynamical phase transition. By understanding what is possible to do with many atoms that we cannot do with just one, we hope to advance a range of technologies and science including realizing robust millihertz linewidth optical lasers, realizing advanced optical lattice clocks, and enhancing searches for new physics.

Speaker: James Thompson, JILA and University of Colorado, Boulder

Host: CFP

Keywords: Physics, CFP, Colloquium