Quantum gases: From fundamental physics to quantum simulators and quantum technology
Speaker: Professor Matthew Davis
Affiliation: University of Queensland
Abstract
The field of quantum gases was kickstarted in 1995 when Cornell, Wieman, and Ketterle cooled tiny samples of alkali atoms down to temperatures of around 100 nK and observe the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate, an achievement was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2001. In the nearly three decades since, ultracold quantum gases have proven to be extremely versatile experimental quantum systems, and have been used to probe a wide range of physical phenomena across fields as diverse as mathematical physics, solid state physics, fluid dynamics, gravitational physics, nonlinear and quantum optics, and quantum thermodynamics.
In this colloquium I will introduce what a quantum gas is, and discuss how they have been used to study fundamental physics, how they can be used as quantum simulators, and their application in quantum technology. I will touch on research performed at the University of Queensland in this area. The talk will be targeted at an audience with some knowledge of undergraduate physics.
About Physics colloquium
The Physics Colloquium series hosts a range of speakers from Australia and abroad. The series explores a variety of topics and everyone is welcome to come along. The seminars are open so there is no need to register your attendance.
