Decreasing Thttp://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 measurementsclocks, fundamental tests

Condensed matter physics with the

precision of atomic physics

Hot topics in atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics

GSI, Darmstadt

Atomic and molecular processes in the interstellar media

University of Durham1. 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 energiese.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 formationMHD 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)

3. Star formation in the primordial gas

Collaborator: Guillaume Pineau des Forêts (Paris)

DRFCarolyn McCoey

Staff: RMPGraduate 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C C Chirila et al, unpublished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 radicallymodifies X-ray emission at high intensity.

Calculation of the distribution of photoelectrons produced by astrong 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).

Non-linearspectroscopy

Staff: IGHGraduate students: Graham Purves, David SmithCollaborators: CSA Financial support: EPSRC

Velocity selectiveoptical pumping

Jundt et al. Eur. Phys. J D 27 273-276 (2003)Smith et al. Am. J. Phys 72 631 (2004)

Non-linear Sagnacinterferometry

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)

PrecisionMagnetometry

Photonics• superluminal light propagation

• “slow” and trapped light

• Dark-state polaritons

• Can the group refractive index really be 106?

• optical delay lines

• optical storage and memory

• ditherfree laser lock signal

University of Durham

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 CoxGraduate students: Paul Griffin, Kevin Weatherill

Matt Pritchard Collaborators: E. Riis (Strathclyde)Previously: Hilary Davies (Ph.D. 12/99)

K. SzymaniecFinancial support: EPSRC GR/R18420 £311k

EPSRC GR/A90367 £229khttp://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 trappingUniversity of Durham

Staff: IGHGraduate 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).

0 10 20 30 40Time (ms)

106 Rb atoms guided

Key et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 1124 (2000).

Magnetic focussing

Pritchard et al. preprint.

Universityof DurhamExperimental Bose-Einstein Condensation

Staff: Simon Cornish, CSAStudents: Margaret Harris

Malcolm Parks Patrick TierneyFinance: Royal Society

EPSRC GR/S78339/01

Magnetic Field (G)

157 159 161 163 165

a /

a0

0

2500

5000

7500

10000

145 160 175

-4000

0

4000

Cornish et al, PRL 85, 1795 (2000)

BEC with Tunable Interactions

Burst focus

RemnantTR / 2 later

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

133 Cs

87 Rb

BEC theory Staff: Nick Proukakis, CSAGraduate 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/R53517http://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

Coherent control of the formation of ultra-cold molecules

IGH, CSA, SLCEPSRC £342k

G. Roberts I. A. WalmsleyC. J. FootT. Kohler

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?

IQMInstitute for Quantum MatterUniversity of Durham

Currrent grant portfolio (EPSRC, RS) > £ 1.75 M

Durham Physics Durham ChemistryC. S. Adams (761k) Prof. J. M. Hutson (165k) I. G. Hughes (342k?) Dr. E. Wrede (423k)S. L. Cornish (438k)

Collaboration Newcastle PhysicsProf. A. S. DickinsonDr. G. Roberts

Funding: OneNE EPSRC SRIF III £2 M (3 yrs)

Aims: Ultra-cold quantum chemistry, quantum computing

Ultra-far Ultra-fast/intense Ultra-stable Ultra-cold

Atomic and molecular physicsUniversity of Durham

DRF, RMP, CSA, IGH, SLC, NPP