This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Photoassociation, which occurs in an ultracold gas when one of the atoms in a colliding pair absorbs a photon of laser light, will be studied, utilizing methods previously developed when one of the atoms in a colliding pair undergoes a spin flip in the presence of a background magnetic field chosen to be resonant. Leftover atoms will be strongly entangled, allowing ultracold quantum computing. It will be examined whether the associated molecules and leftover atoms can associate into triatomic molecules. The work will utilize a few-level framework and the machinery of quantum optics and laser spectroscopy.
This quantum-matter-optics approach is simple and accessible, facilitating the involvement of both graduate and undergraduate students in advancing discovery and understanding. In particular, graduate students will mentor the undergraduates, and mentoring directly impacts retention for both the mentor and those being mentored.
