Quantum Coherence and Information Seminar Schedule

Quantum Coherence and Information
Seminar Abstracts This series of talks bearing on issues in quantum measurement theory, foundation and interpretation of quantum mechanics, quantum decoherence and quantum-classical correspondence, quantum information and computation, is designed to assist graduate students beginning to do research in this newly developing interdisciplinary field. Its nature will vary from reports of original research to review of recent papers of significance. It is hoped that theoretical discussions of issues and models will draw on current experiments in AMO (atom-field interaction, cavity ions) condensed matter (SQUID, Dots), molecular/nuclear (NMR) and nonlinear sciences (quantum chaos) related to the physics of quantum computer prototypes

Speaker:    William D Phillips, UMD and NIST
Date:         Tuesday 26 April 2005
Time:        10:30 AM
Location:   NIST, Gaithersburg Bldg 215 Rm C106 Pre-registration required for visitors.
Title:      A Bose Condensate in an Optical Lattice: cold atoms meet solid state
Abstract:
An atomic-gas Bose-Einstein condensate(BEC), placed in the periodic light-shift potential of an optical standing wave, exhibits many features that are similar to the familiar problem of electrons moving in the periodic potential of a solid-state crystal lattice. Among the differences are that the BEC represents a wavefunction whose coherence extends over the entire lattice, with what is essentially a single quasi-momentum, and that the lattice potential can be turned on and off or accelerated through space. Experiments that are not easily done with solids are often straightforward with optical lattices, sometimes with surprising results.