Cold Atom Physics

 

The field of quantum gases or ultracold atoms is the fastest expanding and most interdisciplinary field in physics today. The experimental branch of this exciting new field uses the techniques of atomic, molecular and optical physics to study manybody systems consisting of extremely cold-trapped atoms. These are condensed matter systems whose constituents have well-understood microscopic interactions. At sufficiently low temperatures, the large de Broglie wavelengths of the atoms allow these systems to exhibit quantum phenomena on a macroscopic scale.

 

 

The theoretical branch of this field is completely interdisciplinary, attracting top scientists from atomic, condensed matter, high energy and nuclear physics, as well as from quantum optics and quantum information. The Cold Atom Physics group at Ohio State has established itself as one of the world’s top theory groups in this area.

 

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Eric Braaten, Professor

PhD, University of Wisconsin, 1981

Strongly interacting quantum gases

Bose-Einstein condensates

Few-body physics for atoms with large scattering lengths

Efimov states

 

Richard Furnstahl, Professor

PhD, Stanford University, 1986

Effective field theory for many-body systems

Pairing mechanisms for Fermi gases

Density functional theory

 

Tin-Lun (Jason) Ho, Distinguished Professor of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

PhD, Cornell University, 1977

Fundamental issues in dilute quantum gases: 

Quantum Hall effect with internal degrees of

freedom

Strongly correlated electron systems

Quantum fluids

 

Mohit Randeria, Professor

PhD, Cornell University, 1987

Strongly interacting quantum gases

BEC-BCS crossover in Fermi gases

Optical lattices

 

Nandini Trivedi, Professor

PhD, Cornell University, 1987

Fermions and bosons in optical lattices

BCS-BEC crossover

Quantum Monte Carlo simulations of cold atoms