Southwest Quantum Information and Technology

Toward many-body cavity QED with addressable ultracold atoms

Presenting Author: Emma Dowd, University of California Berkeley
Contributing Author(s): Justin Gerber, Dan Stamper-Kurn

Ultracold atoms trapped within a high-finesse optical cavity provide a flexible platform for observing and controlling the dynamics of quantum many-body systems. I will report on our progress toward a new experimental apparatus that will consist of addressable arrays of atoms interacting with a near-resonant mode of a near-concentric optical cavity. Light leaking out of the cavity allows non-destructive observation of atomic dynamics imprinted dispersively onto the phase of the cavity field, making this a natural system for studying weak measurement of many-body dynamics. The cavity mode also mediates infinite-range interactions between the atoms in the cavity; adding spatially patterned transverse pump beams allows one to turn these into finite-range interactions of many different flavors, to be used for novel Hamiltonian engineering and quantum simulation. Actuating local control using spatially resolved pump beams based on the measurement record imprinted on the cavity field, we will also explore dissipative state preparation and nonequilibrium many-body dynamics under local measurement and feedback.

(Session 5 : Sunday from 5:00pm - 7:00pm)