Cavity-Aided Quantum Measurement and Dynamics with Cold Atoms

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Speaker(s): Igor Teper

The exquisite control of internal and external degrees of freedom possible for laser-cooled atoms makes them ideal test particles for the study of a wide variety of physical effects. One of the most promising frontiers of research in atomic clocks and sensors is quantum metrology, the engineering of quantum states to improve sensor performance (i.e. using quantum mechanics to beat classical statistics). An experimental system particularly well-suited to the investigation of quantum metrology protocols is formed by an ensemble of laser-cooled atoms coupled to a high-finesse optical resonator cavity, taking advantage of the resonator’s enhancement of the atoms’ interactions with resonant intracavity light. I will describe our experiments in using cavity-mediated measurements to prepare many-atom correlated states, as well as more recent studies of exploiting cavity dynamics to create novel effective interactions between atoms.

Colloquium

Junior and senior physics majors attend our biweekly colloquium series, held on Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. in Shanahan B460. The talks are open to all students and to the public, and are frequently attended by scientists from the other Claremont Colleges, Cal Poly Pomona, and others. The series features speakers from a broad range of institutions and fields of physics.