Dartmouth Events

Abstract: Experiments with ultracold atomic gases can realize paradigmatic states of matter, from Bose-Einstein condensates to superfluid Fermi gases, in pristine fashion. Particularly intriguing are systems where particles interact so strongly that no simple algorithm exists to predict e.g. equations of state, transport properties or dynamical phenomena. I will discuss three recent examples. In fermionic superfluids, we were able to directly observe second sound, the wave-like propagation of heat, using a novel thermography scheme that directly visualizes heat flow. With Fermi gases in optical lattices, we realized the attractive Hubbard model, relevant for our understanding of high-temperature superconductivity, and could directly observe non-local fermion pairing under a quantum gas microscope. Finally, we studied rotating quantum gases to make contact with the physics of charged particles in high magnetic fields and found a new way to enter the ground state of cyclotron motion, the lowest Landau level. There, we observed an intriguing hydrodynamic instability, a quantum analogue of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, driven by interatomic interactions. With these sets of experiments, we hope to improve our understanding of quantum many-body physics in general, with relevance to condensed matter and nuclear physics.

Hosted by Professor Roberto Onofrio