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Jan10
Optical Lattices with Sound
Benjamin Lev, Stanford University
Monday, January 10, 2022
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3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. PT
Quantized sound waves---phonons---govern the elastic response of crystalline materials, and also play an integral part in determining their thermodynamic properties and electrical response (e.g., by binding electrons into superconducting Cooper pairs). The physics of lattice phonons and elasticity is absent in simulators of quantum solids constructed of neutral atoms in periodic light potentials: unlike real solids, traditional optical lattices are silent because they are infinitely stiff. Optical-lattice realizations of crystals therefore lack some of the central dynamical degrees of freedom that determine the low-temperature properties of real materials. We will discuss our creation of an optical lattice with phonon modes using a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) coupled to a confocal optical resonator. Playing the role of an active quantum gas microscope, the multimode cavity QED system both images the phonons and induces the crystallization that supports phonons via short-range, photon-mediated atom-atom interactions. Our results pave the way for exploring the rich physics of elasticity in quantum solids.
About Benjamin Lev
Benjamin Lev grew up in the small town of Crystal River, Florida. He received his Bachelor's degree Magna Cum Laude from Princeton in 1999 and his Ph.D. from Caltech in 2005, both in physics. Benjamin joined the Stanford faculty in 2011, where he is a professor of physics and applied physics. He specializes in the study of quantum many-body physics using the tools of ultracold gases, quantum optics, and condensed matter. Benjamin has received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) from President Obama and a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship, as well as NSF CAREER, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, DARPA, and Office of Navy Research Young Investigator Program awards. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the Defense Science Study Group.
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