42nd Rosenthal Lecture - Immanuel Bloch, Max-Planck Institute - “Realizing Feynman’s Dream of a Quantum Simulator”

Event time: 
Monday, February 25, 2019 - 3:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: 
Sloane Physics Laboratory (SPL), Room 59 See map
217 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
Event description: 

42nd Rosenthal Lecture
More than 30 years ago, Richard Feynman outlined his vision of a quantum simulator for carrying out complex calculations on physical problems. Today, his dream is a reality in laboratories around the world. This has become possible by using complex experimental setups of thousands of optical elements, which allow atoms to be cooled to Nanokelvin temperatures, where they almost come to rest. The atoms can then be trapped and manipulated in arrays of millions of microscopic light traps. Such light crystals allow an unprecedented view into the microscopic world of quantum materials and enable the currently most precise atomic clocks, fundamental to next-generation timing and navigation. In this public lecture, I will explain how such quantum simulators are realized at the lowest temperatures known, and highlight their applications, ranging from condensed-matter and statistical physics to ‘table-top’ high-energy physics and quantum chemistry.

Tea after the talk in the Sloane Physics Lab 3rd Floor Lounge

Host: Nir Navon

Open to: 
undergraduate