CAREER: Making a Difference in First Generation and Underrepresented Students' Education through Research: Quantum Coherence in a Bose Thermal Gas

职业：通过研究改变第一代和代表性不足的学生的教育：Bose 热气体中的量子相干性

基本信息

批准号：
1944802
负责人：
Hyewon Pechkis
金额：
$ 42.87万
依托单位：
Chico State Enterprises
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2020-05-15 至 2025-04-30
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1944802&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
CAREER Making Difference First Generation

项目摘要

Cold atomic gases are promising candidates for applications in quantum computing and precision sensors, owing to their wave-like, coherent nature exhibited at low temperatures. Fully-coherent samples, so-called “quantum gases”, are achieved when cooled to near absolute zero, but this is technically challenging. Recent work, though, has demonstrated that internal quantum coherence can persist even in thermal gases whose temperatures are well above those required to create a quantum gas. The first goal of this project is to determine the limiting conditions for which quantum coherence is preserved in these thermal gases. As such, it will probe the boundary between the classical and quantum regimes and may aid in the development of low-cost quantum technologies. The second goal is to investigate such a gas as it transitions from a thermal cloud to a quantum gas. Depending on the conditions of the experiment, the quantum properties can be either suppressed or enhanced, affecting the complexity of computations and the precision of measurements. The third goal of this project is to integrate quantum science research into undergraduate education. If successful, this will provide a model to make quantum science research more accessible to undergraduate-only institutions, providing enhanced learning opportunities to underrepresented groups in physics. The experimental research program will measure ultracold atomic spinor gases with three main goals. The first goal of the project is to determine the maximum temperature for a Bose thermal gas to exhibit coherent spin-changing collisions. All-optical trapping of spinor gases will be utilized to probe the spinor dynamics of samples as a function of temperature. A thermal gas will be coherently prepared with the desired initial spin state, and the resulting population oscillations will be measured through absorption imaging of the magnetic sublevels. Second, the project will investigate coherent spin-changing collisions in the temperature regime as a thermal gas transitions to a Bose-Einstein condensate. Although the limiting cases are well-understood, there is currently no theoretical model to describe this intermediate regime. It has been argued that spin-locking between the thermal and Bose-condensed components, for example, can lead to either an enhancement or suppression of the coherence of the thermal cloud. The loss of coherence limits the complexity of computation in quantum information systems and the precision of measurements. Experimental studies will provide needed measurements to develop accurate theoretical models. Third, the project will integrate education and research in quantum physics with reduced technical requirements suitable for primarily undergraduate institutions, providing enhanced learning opportunities for underrepresented groups.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

有望在低温下暴露于量子计算和精确传感器的候选冷原子气体。当冷却至几乎绝对零时，可以实现完全连接的样品，即所谓的“量子气”，但这在技术上是挑战的。但是，最近的工作表明，即使在温度远高于创建量子气所需的温度的热气中，内部量子相干性也可以持续。该项目的第一个目标是确定在这些热气体中保留量子相干性的限制条件。因此，它将探测经典和量子状态之间的边界，并可能有助于发展低成本量子技术。第二个目标是研究从热云转变为量子气体的气体。根据实验的条件，可以抑制或增强量子性能，从而影响计算的复杂性和测量精度。该项目的第三个目标是将量子科学研究整合到本科教育中。如果成功的话，这将提供一个模型，使量子科学研究更容易成为本科机构，从而为物理学中代表性不足的群体提供了增强的学习机会。实验研究计划将测量具有三个主要目标的超低原子旋转气体。该项目的第一个目标是确定玻璃热气体的最高温度，以使相干变化碰撞。旋转气体的全光捕获将用于探测样品的纺纱动力学，这是温度的函数。热气体将与所需的初始自旋态相干制备，并通过抽象成像对磁性级别的振荡进行测量。其次，该项目将随着温度气体转变向Bose-Einstein冷凝水的温度状态中的相干自旋变碰撞。尽管有限的案例是充分理解的，但目前尚无理论模型来描述这种中间制度。有人认为，例如，热和体面的组件之间的自旋锁定可以导致增强或抑制热云的相干性。连贯性损失限制了量子信息系统中计算的复杂性和测量的精度。实验研究将提供所需的测量以开发准确的理论模型。第三，该项目将将量子物理学的教育和研究与适合初级本科机构的技术要求相结合，为人数不足的群体提供了增强的学习机会。这项奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响来通过评估来支持的。