JILA X317

Neutral atoms have emerged in recent years as a leading qubit candidate for quantum computing. Atom interferometers, meanwhile, provide precise measurements of very weak gravitational forces. Both of these applications use optical fields to write-in / read-out information, as well as to trap and manipulate the atoms. Optical resonators have been used to enhance such atom-photon interactions, constituting the field of cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED).

Atom interferometers are exquisite sensors that have been used to perform inertial measurements with ever increasing precision. However, many worthy scientific endeavors present dynamically harsh environments and strict SWaP requirements that are challenging to accommodate for conventional atom interferometers. In this defense, I present the novel approach of Bloch-band interferometry, which confines Bose-condensed atoms to a multidimensional optical lattice for the entire interferometer sequence.

In quantum materials, function follows form: the collective behavior of a large ensemble of electrons crucially depends on the structure of the ionic crystal they inhabit. Ultracold fermionic atoms in optical lattices are a unique platform to understand such emergent phenomena by providing a very clean realization of the Hubbard model, one of the most fundamental models describing strongly correlated quantum matter. Yet, realizing and probing structures inspired by solid-state materials is a challenge beyond simple square geometries.

Abstract: 

Reception to follow talk in the h-Bar.

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Abstract: Ultracold dipolar gases, formed by atoms or molecules with strong dipole-dipole interactions, present radically different physics compared to their non-dipolar counterparts. In this talk, I will focus on dipolar gases in optical lattices or tweezer arrays. I will first discuss the case of spin models realized by pinned dipoles in optical lattices, commenting on the intriguing relaxation dynamics of spin patterns in bilayer and ladder set ups, and then briefly browsing over some interesting disorder scenarios in dipolar spin models.

Abstract: 

The interplay of topological order and strong interactions gives rise to exciting many-body physics such as the fractional quantum Hall effect, whose microscopic properties can be unveiled using neutral atom-based quantum simulators. However, the experimental challenges due to the need to engineer an artificial magnetic field, especially in presence of interactions, have so far limited possible studies to small systems with few particles.

Abstract: Trapped ion systems are a leading platform for quantum information processing, but they are currently limited to 1D and 2D arrays, which imposes restrictions on both their scalability and their range of applications.