JILA Science Seminar

Abstract

Abstract: Gauge theories form the foundation of modern physics, with applications ranging from early-universe cosmology and heavy-ion collisions to condensed matter systems. However, simulating the real-time dynamics of such quantum many-body systems on classical computers is fraught with difficulties, motivating the pursuit of alternative venues. I will present recent experiments where we employ a large-scale Bose-Hubbard quantum simulator to emulate a U(1) lattice gauge theory, which couples charged matter fields through dynamical gauge fields.

Abstract:

Among all known isotopes, Thorium-229 has the lowest nuclear excited
state, only 8.4 eV above the ground state. This so-called "isomer" is
accessible to VUV laser excitation and has been proposed as a robust
clock transition for future frequency standards. The talk will present
most recent progress on measuring the exact nuclear excitation energy
and the isomer lifetime in a solid-state environment.

Molecules are amongst the most complex objects that can be controlled and studied at the individual quantum state level. In this talk, I will introduce some of the extraordinary advances made in the last decade by the application of AMO physics tools, including cavity-enhanced optical frequency comb and microwave techniques, to such quantum-state-resolved spectroscopy.

National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) has world-leading nanoscale X-ray imaging capabilities. The Full-field X-ray Imaging (FXI) beamline offers nanoscale tomography at ~30 nm resolution with an unprecedented imaging throughput down to ~10 seconds. The Hard X-ray Nanoprobe (HXN) beamline delivers multimodal X-ray imaging based on scanning X-ray microscopy with the smallest beam size of ~10 nm. In addition, additional imaging beamlines are either under construction or being designed to further strengthen the imaging portfolio at NSLS-II.

Abstract:

I’ll discuss two experimental results that utilize the collective emission of strontium atoms within a cavity, aimed at advancing atomic clock technology. In our first investigation, we employ superradiant pulses from the cavity mode as a fast and directed atomic population readout, mapping out a unique Ramsey spectroscopic lineshape and demonstrating the potential for multiple readouts within a single experimental cycle. In our second investigation, we extend these pulses using an incoherent repumping scheme, achieving steady-state lasing for over a millisecond on the kHz transition.