PHY5052：Cold Atom Physics

(Advanced Atomic physics)

Instructor:
TA:

Mingyang Guo (郭鸣阳)

Liang Yuan (袁亮)
Office: 理学院大楼P3102
Email:[email protected]
Tel: 88018222, 13534189148 .cn
Email: [email protected]

2023.02.17
 Introduction

• What is Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics ?

Atoms and molecules:
➢ Different from nuclear physics;
➢ Discrete energy levels of electrons
orbiting around nucleus

Interaction:
➢ Weak enough to keep main properties of
rare atoms/molecules;
➢ Different from condense matter physics

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 Introduction

• What is Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics ?

Light:
➢ Electromagnetic wave;
➢ Photon

4
 Introduction

• What is Atomic, Molecular, and Optical (AMO) Physics ?

+
Atom and molecule

Light as a tool Quantum optics

Cold atom physics Quantum information

Light

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 Outline of the class

1. Introduction to AMO (atomic, molecular, and Optical)

Physics, including the AMO researches at SUSTech

2. General course information and course material

overview

6
 Motivation
• AMO research is always at the frontier of Physics:
➢ Promote the development of basic physics

Discrete spectral Quantum

lines of Hydrogen mechanics

Lamb shift in Quantum

Hydrogen electrodynmics

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 Motivation

• AMO research is always at the frontier of Physics

Some Nobel Prize in Physics to AMO:

Planck, Stark, Einstein, Heisenberg, Dirac, Schrodinger…

1944: I. I. Rabi: NMR
1952: Felix Bloch and Edward Purcell: NMR
1955: Willis Lamb: Lamb shift
1964: Alexsandr M. Prokhorov, Charles H. Townes, and Nicolay G. Basov: Invention of laser
1966: Alfred Kastler: Optical pumping
1981: Nicolaas Bloembergen and Arthur L. Schawlow: laser spectroscopy
1989: Norman Ramsey, Hans Dehmelt and Wolfang Paul: Ramsey spectroscopy and ion trap.
1997: Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, and William D. Phillips: laser cooling and trapping
of neutral atoms
2001: Eric A. Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle, and Carl E. Wieman: Bose-Einstein condensation of
atoms
2005: John L. Hall and Theodor W. Hänsch: optical frequency comb with ultrafast lasers
2009: Charles K. Kao: optical fibers
2012: David Winland and Serge Haroche: for the manipulation of individual photons and
atoms
2018: Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou, Donna Strickland: optical tweezers and chirped pulse
amplification
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 Motivation

Applications to other fields

Cosmology:
➢Identifying astronomical objects; Searching dark matter
and dark energy

Condensed matter physics:

➢Quantum simulation, novel quantum phases…

Particle physics:
➢Standard model and beyond

Chemistry:
➢Quantum chemistry…

Biology and medical science:

➢ Imaging (2014 Chemistry Nobel) and manipulating (2018 Nobel)
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 Motivation

• AMO research is always at the frontier of Physics

Physical advances:
➢ Understanding atomic and molecular structures;
➢ Controlling and manipulating atoms and molecules

Findings in what is now known as atomic physics drove the

establishment of Quantum Mechanics and later on Quantum
Electrodynamics (QED).

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 Understanding atomic structures
1. Discovery of electron: particle smaller than “atom”

In 1897, J.J. Thomson discovered

the electron with cathode ray.

1906 Nobel prize

2. Rutherford Model

In 1909, Geiger and Marsden’s

experiment found most α particle
passing gold foil without changing
trajectory.

In 1911, Rutherford proposed the

model of atom
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 Understanding atomic structures
3. Hydrogen spectrum

In 1888, J. Rydberg summarized H

spectral lines to follow:

with n and n’ integer numbers, R

is a constant.

In 1913 Bohr’s model explained

the structure

1922 Nobel prize

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 Understanding of atomic structures
4. In 1914 J. Franck and G. Hertz experiment
1925 Nobel prize

When an electron collided with mercury

atoms (Hg), it could lose only a specific
quantity (4.9 electron volts) of its kinetic
energy before flying away: evidence of the
discrete energy level of atoms
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 Understanding of atomic structures
5. Otto Stern and Walther Gerlach experiment

Angular momentum
is quantized

Silver (Ag) atoms travel through

an inhomogeneous magnetic field
and are deflected up or down
depending on their spin.

In 1925, Uhlenbeck and Goudsmit proposed the “spin” of electron to

explain, anomalous Zeeman effect, spectrum splitting …
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 Understanding of atomic structures
6. Later on: more detailed structures observed in H

Dirac’s equation: relativistic Schrӧdinger equation,

spin, spin-orbit coupling can all be taken into
account

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 Understanding of atomic structures
7. In 1947 W. Lamb found

There’s a 3rd component in the fine-

structure of hydrogen (Dirac: Should only
be 2). 22S1/2 is higher than 22P1/2 by ~1
GHz!

Dirac theory fails!

Quantum Electrodynamics: Schwinger,
Feynman, Tomonaga

Field quantization, including vacuum: full

quantized theory of light and atom interaction

The Lamb shift

Phys. Rev. 71, 914 (1947)
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 Understanding of atomic structures

Atoms with several electrons: electron-electron interaction

➢ Same mechanisms but barely can be solved exactly;
➢ Simplified by Hund’s rules;
➢ Strongly depends on experiment measurement;

Molecules: more complicated

➢ Hybrid orbital theory

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 Understanding of atomic structures
More is still going on …
Beyond standard model:
➢ Electron electric dipole moment (EDM) measurement
< 10−38 𝑒 ∙ cm

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 Understanding of atomic structures
More is still going on …
Beyond standard model:
➢ New boson: isotope shift

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 Motivation

• AMO research is always at the frontier of Physics

Physical advances:
➢ Understanding atomic and molecular structures;
➢ Controlling and manipulating atoms and molecules

20
 Manipulation of atoms/molecules

➢ Controlling and manipulating atoms and molecules

Related some Nobel Prize:

1966: Alfred Kastler: Optical pumping

1989: Norman Ramsey, Hans Dehmelt and Wolfang Paul: Ramsey spectroscopy and
ion trap.
1997: Steven Chu, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, and William D. Phillips: laser cooling and
trapping of neutral atoms
2001: Eric A. Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle, and Carl E. Wieman: Bose-Einstein
condensation of atoms
2012: David Winland and Serge Haroche: for the manipulation of individual photons
and atoms
2018: Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Mourou, Donna Strickland: optical tweezers and chirped
pulse amplification

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 Development of new tools

• AMO research is always at the frontier of Physics

Technical developments: light sources
➢ Laser development: tunable ring laser (Ti-Sa), diode laser,
fiber laser, diode pumped solid state laser...;
➢ Short pulse: fs, as; (2018 Nobel prize) The first Ruby laser
➢ High intensity: Tela Watt

➢ Single photon;
➢ Photon control: super cavities
➢ Entangled photon pairs

➢ Frequency comb (2005 Nobel prize)

➢ Optical fibers (2009 Nobel prize)
➢ Optical tweezers (2018 Nobel prize)

precise ruler for measuring light frequency

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 Manipulation of atoms/molecules
1. Optical pumping
Optical pumping of Rb

Preparing a single quantum

state without using a laser
（selection rule）

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 Manipulation of atoms/molecules
1. Optical pumping
Population inversion for
creating a laser

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Laser cooling and trapping

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 Laser cooling and trapping

2. Lasering cooling:

Magneto-optical trap (MOT)

Zeeman slowing
Optical molasses
Sisyphus cooling …

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 Laser cooling and trapping
3. Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)
and degenerate fermi gas (DFG)
Evaporative cooling

BEC

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 Artificial atoms
Giant Rydberg atoms (molecules): ~μm
➢ Atoms in the highly excited state

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 Manipulation of atoms/molecules
4. Manipulating individual photon/atom/ions

2012 Nobel prize

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 Manipulation of atoms/molecules
External degrees of freedom
➢ Optical lattice: crystalline structure
➢ Optical tweezers

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 Motivation
• AMO research is always at the frontier of Physics

Frontier areas: W.Ketterle

1. Precision measurement (driving force for AMO and other physics): time
and frequency, fundamental constants, magnetometry
2. Ultracold
3. Ultrashort (fast)
4. Ultra-intense
5. Nano materials: mesoscopic quantum objects (artificial atoms)

6. Quantum information science: quantum communication, computation,

simulation and sensing (entanglement)

AMO physics provides the core principle and technology for realization of all
ideas of QIS

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 Precision measurements
Optical clock: ~10-20 uncertainty
➢ Next generation of “second” definition;
➢ Relativity effect: gravitational red shift
➢ Dark matter detection …

Jun Ye Group, JILA

Atomic interferometer:
➢ Precise force (gravity) sensing;
➢ Gravitational wave detection
➢ …

Nature 602, 420–424 (2022)

Nature 602, 425–430 (2022)

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 Ultracold physics

• Lower T: 𝜇𝐾, 𝑛𝐾, and even 𝑝𝐾

• Searching novel quantum phases

• Quantum chemistry: molecules

• Topological matter

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 More “ultracold” species

Also mixtures and

molecular species

Introduction to Cold and Ultracold Chemistry.

Springer International Publishing, 2020.
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 Quantum simulation
• Ultracold quantum gases • Real Materials:

➢ Densities: ~1014 𝑐𝑚−3

(~ μm) ➢ Densities: ~1024 𝑐𝑚−3 (~ 0.1nm)

➢ Temperatures: ~ 100 𝑛𝐾 ➢ Temperatures: 𝑚𝐾 – hundred K

➢ Time scale: ~ 10-3 s ➢ Time scale: ~ 10-12 s

Quantum :
𝜆/𝑑 > 1

➢ High-Tc superconductivity
➢ Quantum Magnetism
… 38
 Quantum computation

• Quantum computing platforms （From Chris Monroe’s talk）

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 AMO physics at SUSTech

• Prof. Chen (Rb MOT): Quantum optics,

single photon source, quantum network

• Prof. Xu (Rb): Topological phases

• Prof. Yang (Rb): Quantum simulation,

quantum entanglement

• Dr. Yu (IQSE, Sr): Quantum computation

in optical tweezers

• Prof. Guo (Dy): Quantum simulation,

novel quantum phases

• Dr. Yang (IQSE, Rb): Quantum sensing

• Prof. Yang (Chem.): Quantum chemistry

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 Outline of the class

1. Introduction to AMO (atomic, molecular, and Optical)

Physics, including the AMO researches at SUSTech

2. General course information and course material

overview

41
 Course description

This course will discuss various fundamental topics of modern

atomic physics at the graduate level. Students should have
undergraduate level Quantum Mechanics before taking this course.

The first part of the course will focus on atomic structures, and the
behaviors of atoms under external field.

The second part will be on the atom-light interactions and atom-

atom interaction, including their application to the understanding of
laser cooling, evaporative cooling, precise manipulation and related
topics.

If time allows, an advanced topics section will also be included to

introduce the most recent developments in this field.

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 Course objectives

1. To apply the fundamental knowledge of quantum

mechanics to understand atomic structures.

2. To understand interactions between light-atom, and

atom-atom and to solve common real-world
problems.

3. To understand the basic physical principles of cold

atom physics and implementing them in real cutting-
edge experiments.

4. Introduce to the most recent progress and exotic

topics in cold atom physics.

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Course contents
Course calendar
 Grading
No final exam
Homework and attendance: 35%
Quiz and Mid term: 40%
Presentation or term paper: 25%
Homework
• Homework every one or two weeks, depending on lecture progress. Most of
the problems need analytical derivation, some involves numerical solution.
You are encouraged to use Mathematica, Matlab or Python for problem
solving.

• In solving the problems, you should demonstrate your understanding of the

topic by solid arguments.

• No late homework will be accepted.

• Working together in small group on problem sets is acceptable, however

each student must write his/her solutions in complete sentence and with
your own words.
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 Grading

Mid term:

Between April 3rd and 16th, exact time to be announced two weeks
ahead

Quiz:

In class, 2 or 3 times after mid term, depends on the lecture

progress; exact time to be announced one week ahead;

Mostly straightforward problems; should have no complicated

calculations involved;

Close book: no reference to the textbook or lecture notes.

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 Grading

Term paper:
1). Choose one topic before April 21. You can choose from the list or something else. Need
my approval in both cases;
2). Due June 09;
3). In Physical Review A format, no more than 5 figures.

or Presentation:
1). Choose one topic before October April 21. You can choose from the list or something
else. Need my approval in both cases;
2). Make the presentation in or after the last week of the class: venue to be decided later
3). ~15 minutes
4). No make up.

Important:

It is not just a literature review. You need to show your understanding

with arguments based on knowledge learned in this course!

20% rule applies: must obtain >20% of the final term paper/presentation
marks to pass the course.
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 Textbooks and reference materials
Most easy to follow:

Christopher J.Foot, Atomic Physics (available in bookstore)

1. B.H.Bransden and C.J.Joachain, Physics of Atoms and Molecules (more details than
Foot)
2. Dan Steck' s quantum optics notes. Free download from
http://atomoptics.uoregon.edu/~dsteck/teaching/quantum-optics/quantum - optics -
notes.pdf
3. Harold J.Metcalf and Peter van der Straten, Laser Cooling and Trapping (a little old, but
still the best reference book for the topic)
4. W.Demtröder, Laser Spectroscopy : Basic Concepts and Instrumentation (an
experimentalist reference with lots of technical details)
5. Marcis Auzinsh, Dmitry Budker, Simon Rochester, Optically Polarized Atoms :
Understanding light - atom interactions (for people who wants more).

Preparation:

In advance of each lecture, please read the corresponding chapters in

Foot or the assigned materials..
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