Taking the atoms for a “spin” using light by Dr. Saptarishi Chaudhuri - Showcasing RRI 11/11/2022

The spin state of an elementary particle or even atoms has inherent quantum identity with no analog in classical physics, yet “spin” is something we all understand naturally. In this talk, I shall describe our recent experiments at RRI exploring the atomic spins both at room temperature and at extremely low temperatures in the micro-Kelvin range achieved only through laser cooling and trapping techniques. I shall also indicate how using light, we do indeed take atoms for a “spin” in the figurative sense. There are many applications, such as developing quantum sensors using these types of measurements.
I shall also touch upon many examples in the recent past where ultra-cold atoms and atom-light interactions have been used successfully to explore exotic phenomena in quantum mechanics - a class of study known as “quantum simulations.” I shall also present the performance of our newly built experimental system to study a mixture of mass and spin-imbalanced ultra-cold atoms. The focus will be on the many-body physics and dynamics of cold atoms in optical and magnetic fields. A major new direction of the study of many-body physics is using the arbitrary shape of the trapping potential. I shall show the “structured” optical tweezers for atoms being developed in our laboratory at RRI to explore the truly exotic light-matter interactions.
Lab website: wwws.rri.res.i...
The Raman Research Institute is a premier research Institute founded by Indian Science Nobel Laureate Sir C V Raman. The Institute has a rich heritage and legacy of conducting fundamental research in frontier areas of Physics under contemporary research themes. The Institute was founded in 1948 and entered its platinum jubilee year on 7 November 2022, celebrating it with The Launch Event and an In-House conference, "Showcasing RRI." During the Showcasing RRI week, researchers from all four departments at RRI enlightened the audience with their ongoing research.
#cvraman #platinumjubilee #rri #ultracoldatoms #spin #atom #quantummechanics