Ultracold Atomic Gases (E/T) - physics742
| Course | Ultracold Atomic Gases (E/T) |
|---|---|
| Course No. | physics742 |
| Category | Type | Language | Teaching hours | CP | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elective | Lecture with exercises | English | 3+1 | 6 | WT |
Preparation: Quantum Mechanics
Form of Testing and Examination: Requirements for the examination (written or oral): successful work with the exercises
Length of Course: 1 semester
Aims of the Course: This lecture discusses both the experimental and theoretical concepts of ultra-cold atomic gases.
Contents of the Course:
Almost hundred years ago, in 1924, A. Einstein and S.N. Bose predicted the existence of a new state of matter, the so-called Bose-Einstein condensate. It took 70 years to successfully realize this macroscopic quantum state in the lab using ultracold atomic gases (Nobel prize 2001). The main challenge was to achieve cooling to Nanokelvin temperatures, the coolest temperatures ever reached by mankind. Nowadays, ultracold gases are exciting systems to study a broad range of quantum phenomena. These phenomena range from the direct observation of quantum matter waves and superfluidity over the creation of artificial crystal structures as analogous to solids, to the realization of complex quantum phase transitions of interacting atoms, e.g. the formation of a bosonic Mott-insulator or the BCS superconducting state for Fermions. In this lecture we will discuss both the experimental and theoretical concepts of ultra-cold atomic gases.
Outline: Introduction and revision of basic concepts, Fundamentals of atom-laser interaction
Laser cooling & trapping, Bose-Einstein condensation of atomic gases. Dynamics of Bose-Einstein condensates
Optical lattices: strongly interacting atomic gases and quantum phase transitions
The crossover of Fermi-gases between a BCS superconducting state and a Bose-Einstein condensate of molecules.
Recommended Literature: C. J. Pethick and H. Smith, Bose-Einstein Condensation in Dilute Gases (Cambridge University Press)