Working within a specific technical setting known as cavity quantum electrodynamics, this project pursues a program of experimental and theoretical research aimed at elucidating the essential physics of the 'mesoscopic' transition regime that lies between the deeply quantum-mechanical behavior of individual atoms and the classical behavior of large ensembles of atoms. Our findings are of basic interest both for fundamental physics and for future engineering applications in nanotechnology, which often seeks to exploit unique aspects of mesoscopic physics. Our approach is to conduct new experiments using several tens of atoms in a setting in which we have previously characterized the behavior of individual atoms and of ensembles of thousands of atoms. We will pursue rigorous quantitative comparisons between experimental data and computer simulations based on fundamental theoretical models.
The research crosses traditional boundaries between academic disciplines in science, engineering and mathematics. The graduate student working on the project receives unique interdisciplinary training and our research provides excellent source material for classroom teaching. The publications and research presentations based on this research can reach new audiences in engineering and applied mathematics who may commonly study some of the kinds of nonlinear dynamical behaviors that we are investigating, introducing them for the first time to novel quantum mechanical aspects that emerge in the mesoscopic, nanoscale regime.
