r seminar

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Decreasing T http://www.mpq.mpg.de/~haensch/bec Nobel Prize 2001 Laser cooling Nobel Prize 1997 BEC Cold molecules 1K Ultra-cold molecules 100nK (2003) http://exphys.uibk.ac.at/ultracold/ Ultra-intense (RMP) Ultra-cold (CSA, IGH, SLC, NPP) Ultra-fast (RMP) Interstellar media (DRF) Precision measurements clocks, fundamental tests Condensed matter physics with the precision of atomic physics Hot topics in atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics GSI, Darmstadt

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Atomic and molecular processes in the interstellar media University of Durham 1. Rovibrational excitation of interstellar molecules at low energies H2 - H2, H2 - CO, H2 - NH3, H2 - CH3OH Excitation of fine structure transitions in atoms at low energies e.g. H2 - C( 2p2 3PJ ), H2 - O( 2p4 3PJ ) Collaborators: Stephen Davis (Virginia, USA) Evelyne Roueff, Marie-Lise Dubernet (Meudon) Silvia Leurini, Peter Schilke (Bonn) 2. Shocks in regions of star formation MHD model of shock waves: chemical reactions cooling processes Predict: rovibrational spectrum of H2; intensities of emission lines (e.g. [CI] and [FeII]). Compare with observations Collaborators: Carolyn McCoey Guillaume Pineau des Forêts, Jacques Le Bourlot, Sylvie Cabrit (Paris) Teresa Giannini (Rome), Malcolm Walmsley (Firenze) Star formation in the primordial gas Collaborator: Guillaume Pineau des Forêts (Paris) DRF Carolyn McCoey

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Staff: RMP Graduate students: Ciprian Chirila Atom and ions in intense laser pulses University of Durham C C Chirila et al, unpublished GSI, Darmstadt 1. Ultra-short (few-cycle) pulses: Picture of the emission of an attosecond X-ray pulse The magnetic field component of the laser pulse radically modifies X-ray emission at high intensity. Calculation of the distribution of photoelectrons produced by a strong few-cycle 800 nm pulse incident on an atom of hydrogen. 2. Ultra-strong pulses interacting with relativistic ions: GSI (Darmstadt): - Relativistic multicharged ions (Lorentz factor up to 20) collide with superintense laser pulses (up to 1021 W/cm2 at 1054 nm). The group is developing new projects in this area C C Chirila et al, Laser Phys. 14, 190 (2004).

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Non-linear spectroscopy Staff: IGH Graduate students: Graham Purves, David Smith Collaborators: CSA Financial support: EPSRC Velocity selective optical pumping Jundt et al. Eur. Phys. J D 27 273-276 (2003) Smith et al. Am. J. Phys 72 631 (2004) Non-linear Sagnac interferometry Purves et al. Eur. Phys. J D (2004) Rapid spectral variation of absorption and refractive index Optically pumped gradiometer for magnetocardiography ~ 100fT/Hz1/2 Wynands (PTB) Precision Magnetometry Photonics super-luminal light propagation “slow” and trapped light Dark-state polaritons Can the group refractive index really be 106? optical delay lines optical storage and memory dither-free laser lock signal University of Durham

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Adams et al. PRL 74, 3577 (1995); Davidson et al. PRL 74, 1311 (1995); Lee et al. PRL 76, 2658 (1996). Szymaniec et al. Europhys. Lett. 45, 450 (1999). Davies et al. PRA 63, 012413 (2000). Davies et al. J. Phys. B. 33, 4079 (2000). Staff: CSA, Simon Cox Graduate students: Paul Griffin, Kevin Weatherill Matt Pritchard Collaborators: E. Riis (Strathclyde) Previously: Hilary Davies (Ph.D. 12/99) K. Szymaniec Financial support: EPSRC GR/R18420 £311k EPSRC GR/A90367 £229k http://massey.dur.ac.uk/research_bec.html Adams et al. J. Phys. B 36, 1933 (2003). Cox et al. Rev. Sci. Instrim. 74, 1311 (2003). Laser cooling and trapping University of Durham

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Staff: IGH Graduate students: David Smith Matt Pritchard Collaborators: CSA, Ed Hinds Financial support: EPSRC Magnetic manipulation of cold atoms Saba et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 468 (1999). Key et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 1124 (2000). Magnetic focussing Pritchard et al. preprint.

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University of Durham Experimental Bose-Einstein Condensation Staff: Simon Cornish, CSA Students: Margaret Harris Malcolm Parks Patrick Tierney Finance: Royal Society EPSRC GR/S78339/01 Cornish et al, PRL 85, 1795 (2000) BEC with Tunable Interactions Condensate Collapse: “The Bosenova” Donley et al, Nature 412, 295 (2001) 1. 85Rb BEC Experiment: 2. Quantum Degenerate Mixtures: Thomas et al, J. Opt. B Quant. Semiclass. Opt. 5, S107 (2003) Cs Feshbach Resonances Creation of Ultracold Molecules

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BEC theory Staff: Nick Proukakis, CSA Graduate students: Eleni Sakellari Nick Parker Collaborators: C. F. Barenghi (NCL) D. J. Frantzeskakis (Athens) H. T. C. Stoof (Utrecht) Previously: Mark Leadbeater (–11/02) Brian Jackson (Ph.D. 10/00) Thomas Winiecki (Ph.D. 10/01) J. F. McCann (QUB) Financial support: EPSRC GR/R53517 http://massey.dur.ac.uk/research_bec.html Parker et al. PRL 92, 160403 (2004). Winiecki et al. PRL 82, 5186 (1999). Jackson et al. PRL 80, 3903 (1998). Parker et al. PRL 90, 220401 (2003). Leadbeater et al. PRL 86, 1410 (2001). University of Durham Superfluidity in atomic condensates Solitons, vortices Josephson effect Proukakis et al. PRL to appear

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Coherent control of the formation of ultra-cold molecules IGH, CSA, SLC EPSRC £342k G. Roberts I. A. Walmsley C. J. Foot T. Kohler

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Future plans: Fermionic dipolar superfluids BEC – BCS crossover Dipolar 6Li – 40K Bartenstein et al. cond-mat/0403716 http://atomcool.rice.edu/local/atomstar.jpg See e.g. Chen et al. cond-mat/0404274 Fermionic superfluids are robust?

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I Q M Institute for Quantum Matter University of Durham Currrent grant portfolio (EPSRC, RS) > £ 1.75 M Durham Physics Durham Chemistry C. S. Adams (761k) Prof. J. M. Hutson (165k) I. G. Hughes (342k?) Dr. E. Wrede (423k) S. L. Cornish (438k) Collaboration Newcastle Physics Prof. A. S. Dickinson Dr. G. Roberts Funding: OneNE EPSRC SRIF III £2 M (3 yrs) Aims: Ultra-cold quantum chemistry, quantum computing

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Ultra-far Ultra-fast/intense Ultra-stable Ultra-cold Atomic and molecular physics University of Durham DRF, RMP, CSA, IGH, SLC, NPP