All are cordially invited to attend a colloquium featuring Dr. Philip Johnson, Department of Physics, American University. Dr. Johnson will present his talk, “Quantum collapse-and-revival and effective interactions of ultracold atoms in optical lattices” on Tuesday, March 24, at 4:10 pm in Webster B17.
Abstract: Arrays of ultracold atoms trapped in optical lattices of laser light are a powerful tool for the creation and study of quantum phases of matter. In this talk, I will focus on two types of physics that are occur in optical lattices. First, I will describe the effective three-, four-, and higher-body interactions that are generated by quantum fluctuations, and which play an important role in condensed matter, nuclear, and high-energy physics. In optical lattices, these effective interactions can be tuned and controlled in a variety of ways. Second, I will describe collapse-and-revival dynamics in lattices, in which an initial superfluid of atoms oscillates between a state of “macroscopic” quantum coherence and classical incoherence. Finally, I will describe how even very subtle effects of effective interactions can be seen in collapse-and-revival physics.
Please meet our guest speaker and share in refreshments, 3:45-4:10 p.m. in the foyer on floor G above the lecture hall.
