Few-body physics has played a prominent role in atomic, molecular and nuclear physics since the early days of quantum mechanics. A microscopic description of universal and non-universal aspects of ultracold s-wave interacting atomic few-body systems with up to six particles is planned. Specifically, a hyperspherical explicitly correlated Gaussian approach (HECG) applicable to four- and five-body systems with finite orbital angular momentum will be develoepd. Together with the "standard" explicitly correlated Gaussian approach, this approach will be applied to few-atom systems with various symmetries and large s-wave scattering lengths. Moreover, the physics of few-body systems in periodic structures (a periodic box or an optical lattice) will be investigated. Lastly, microscopic finite-temperature approaches will be developed and applied.
The algorithm developments are expected to have implications for a variety of subdisciplines within physics and chemistry. The successful generalization of the HECG approach to states with finite angular momentum is expected to provide access to single- and multi-channel scattering observables. As such, the developed approach may find applications in nuclear and chemical physics, in addition to applications in atomic and molecular physics. The applications to ultracold few-body systems will significantly enhance our understanding of fundamental, yet highly correlated, few-body states, which govern much of the dynamics of ultracold quantum gases. Students will be actively involved in all aspects of the proposed research activities including the planning of the fundamental studies, the calculations and the interpretation and dissimination of the results. The research training of undergraduate and graduate students in atomic theory with emphasis on analytical and numerical techniques prepares them for a wide variety of future pursuits. Students' classroom experiences will be improved by incorporating some of the latest advances.
