Objectif
Ultra cold atoms offer unprecedented possibilities to shed a new light on intriguing quantum phenomenon that were discovered in Photon Quantum Optics (PQO), such as Hanbury Brown and Twiss correlations, Bell’s inequality tests of entanglement, Hong Ou Mandel effect, non classical states of light. It becomes possible to develop a Quantum Atom Optics (QAO), which is more than a simple analogue to PQO. Atoms add two new ingredients to the situations (i) controlled interactions, tunable from zero to giant values; (ii) the possibility to choose between fermions and bosons. The first part of this project aims at revisiting with this new perspective some milestones of Quantum Optics, and to address open questions like possible interaction induced decoherence effects. For this, we will develop single atom detectors and atom-atom correlation measurements techniques, both for metastable Helium and for alkali atoms, and build all optical cooling machines for these species, including a guided atom laser with control of the atomic interactions. We will also consider measurements below the standard quantum limits, to apply them to inertial and gravitational sensors based on atom interferometers.
In the second part of this project, experimental tools and concepts of QAO will be used to address fundamental questions of Condensed Matter Physics (CMP). A 1D horizontally guided Atom Laser will allow us to study transport properties of an interacting Bose gas in the presence of disorder, akin to conductivity measurements in CMP. Atom-atom correlation techniques developed to test Bell inequalities will allow us to investigate non trivial symmetries in paired atomic states BCS-like. Using larger samples of ultra-cold Bose or Fermi atoms, we will investigate the effect of interactions on Anderson localization in 1D, 2D and 3D, as well as other phenomenon beyond the mean field description, e.g. correlations in strongly interacting 1D quantum gases.
Champ scientifique
Not validated
Not validated
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrynoble gases
- natural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsfermions
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesquantum physicsquantum optics
- natural sciencesphysical sciencescondensed matter physicsquantum gases
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
Appel à propositions
ERC-2010-AdG_20100224
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Régime de financement
ERC-AG - ERC Advanced GrantInstitution d’accueil
75794 Paris
France