When
Where
Title
Programmable Atom Interferometry in a Multidimensional Optical Lattice
Abstract
The creation of a matter-wave interferometer can be achieved by loading Bose-Einstein condensed atoms into a crystal of light formed by interfering laser beams. By translating this optical lattice in a specific way, the traditional steps of interferometry can all be implemented, i.e., splitting, propagating, reflecting, and recombining the quantum wavefunction. Using this concept, we have designed and built a compact device to sense inertial signals, including accelerations, rotations, gravity, and gravity gradients. This approach is interesting, since the atoms can be supported against external forces and perturbations, and the system can be completely programmed on-thefly for a new design goal. I will report on experimental results in which atoms are cooled into a dipole trap and subsequently loaded into an optical lattice. Protocols for obtaining interferometry steps are derived via machine learning and quantum optimal control methods. Implementing these in the lab, I will show our recent demonstrations of a vector accelerometer capable of sensitively deducing the magnitude and direction of an inertial force in a single shot. I will discuss our vision to use this platform for remote sensing of Earth as part of the recently founded NASA Quantum Pathways Institute.
Bio
Murray Holland was born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, where he earned both B.Sc. (1988) and M.Sc. (1990) degrees in physics and mathematics. At Auckland, he worked with Professor Dan Walls, a noted quantum optics theorist and wrote a Masters thesis on quantum nondemolition measurements and Bell’s inequalities. He was awarded a Rutherford Scholarship from the Royal Society to fund his graduate studies at the University of Oxford, UK, working with Professor Sir Keith Burnett. After completing his D.Phil in 1994 on proposals for quantum enhanced interferometry measurements, Holland moved to JILA at the University of Colorado Boulder, first as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with renowned theorist Professor Peter Zoller, and then joining the faculty there in 1996. He now runs a research group at JILA as a Professor of Physics and JILA Fellow working on a broad range of topics in quantum optics, quantum information science, and quantum gases. The group contains both experimental and theoretical undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students. Some of the recent topical interests include optimal generators for quantum sensing, the theory of superradiant lasers, and experiments on lattice-based atom interferometry using machine learning methods.
Can't Join Us In Person?
Register for the Zoom Webinar!
Subscribe to Upcoming Colloquium Announcements
Visit our website for future lecture dates and speaker information