Amazing progress has recently been made in the field of ultracold quantum gases. Mott insulator and maximally entangled quantum states have been realized in optical lattices, and condensation of pairs of fermionic atoms in the BCS-BEC crossover has been observed. With these systems it now becomes possible to study fundamental questions of modern solid state and quantum information physics with atomic physics experiments. Currently, the most significant limitation for many experiments on strongly correlated quantum gases is the lack of high-resolution optical access and single lattice site addressability. The goal for this project is to overcome current limitations and to study new physics with a novel experimental system, in which a strongly correlated quantum gas in an optical lattice can be probed and manipulated with unprecedented optical resolution and single lattice site addressability. Two-dimensional optical lattice potentials will be superimposed to an optical surface trap, resulting in sub micron lattices with single lattice site addressability. This new system will be used to realize and study complex, strongly correlated quantum gases with unprecedented control and accessibility. This work is expected to have broad impact on research, education and technology. The new experiment will be an important step in the world-wide quest for the experimental realization of novel strongly correlated quantum states of matter. Parallel to the research, the PI is developing a new advanced optics course covering quantum electronics and modern optics. Graduate and undergraduate students will participate by developing lecture demonstrations for this course based on new insights they got while developing complex optical systems for the experiment. Experiments studying strongly correlated quantum states with optical addressability should present unique opportunities to answer outstanding questions in modern condensed matter and quantum physics. A better understanding of this fundamental physics can lead to quantum information applications and to new materials, such as superconductors with higher critical temperatures.
