Title:
Ultracold Atom Circuits and Quantum Phases of Matter
While the quantum nature of physical law is not obvious in most large systems, there are some materials whose macroscopic properties are determined by collective quantum effects. Superflu-idity and superconductivity are the most well-known examples of macroscopic quantum behavior. Af-ter decades of brilliant work, predicting the nature (and even existence) of macroscopic quantum phas-es of matter is still notoriously difficult, even when the properties of the individual elements of a sys-tem are thoroughly understood. Recent experimental work creating superfluid "circuits" of Bose-condensed atomic gases has laid the groundwork for a powerful new approach to studying collective quantum phenomena. I will review a selection of these experimental results, and explain how upcom-ing experiments with ring-shaped Bose and Fermi gases could improve our understanding of unconventional superfluid phases and other fascinating macroscopic quantum phenomena.
Biography:
Kevin C. Wright has been cooling atoms to quantum degeneracy and encouraging them to move around in precise little circles since his Ph.D. work at the University of Rochester with Nick Bigelow. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2009, he was awarded an NRC fellowship and went to the Joint Quantum Institute to work with Bill Phillips and Gretchen Campbell and helped build some of the first superflu-id "atom circuits". Kevin became an Assistant Professor at Dartmouth in 2013, where he has expand-ed his atom-wrangling activities to include ultracold Fermi superfluids and Bose-Fermi mixtures.
Every Friday 10:45-11:45 a.m., COB 267 (except as noted). Refreshments will be served from 10:30 - 10:45 a.m. Questions regarding the seminar series should be directed to Prof. Bin Liu
