ICAP 2002

ONE-WEEK SUMMER COURSE IN ATOMIC PHYSICS

Sponsored by the MIT-Harvard

CENTER FOR ULTRACOLD ATOMS
July 22 – 26, 2002

This course is patterned on an introductory course in atomic physics presented at MIT for beginning graduate students with an interest in pursuing research in atomic/optical physics. It may also be of interest to others who are moving into these areas of research. The assumed background is an upper level undergraduate course in quantum mechanics. There will be three ninety-minute lectures a day, plus a number of problem-solving sessions. There will be no examinations, and no formal academic credit will be awarded.
The course will be presented the week preceding the International Conference on Atomic Physics,  MIT, July 28 –August 2.

Lectures

Course notes will be distributed. No textbook is required. We will not use computers but if you have a hand calculator please bring it along.

The order of lectures in the School does not follow the order of lectures in the regular course but is arranged to introduce some important concepts earlier than they would normally occur, and also to mix up the schedule of lecturers. Course notes and some supplementary reading material will be distributed.

Topics to be covered tentatively include

  1. Introduction: contemporary atomic physics; resonance, the classical motion of spins, rotating coordinate systems, Larmor’s theorem, adiabatic passage
  2. Spin-1/2 systems, 2-level quantum systems, Rabi transition probability, Landau-Zener effect, density matrix, Bloch equations
  3. Hyperfine interactions, structure of atoms in magnetic fields: Zeeman effect, the Breit-Rabi diagram
  4. Atoms and radiation: quantized E-M field, Jaynes-Cummings model, absorption and emission, Einstein A and B coefficients, selection rules
  5. Spectral line shape: Rabi and Ramsey resonance, perturbation theory of spectral broadening
  6. Rydberg atoms and cavity QED: scaling laws, field ionization, structure in electric and magnetic fields, radiative properties
  7. Two-photon absorption and emission, coherent processes, stimulated and spontaneous Raman scattering
  8. Coherence: quantum beats, coherence in three-level systems, population trapping, superradiance.
  9. Atom optics and atom interferometry
  10. Statistical properties of the radiation field. Thermal states, coherent states, squeezed states.
  11. Optical Bloch Equation: spectrum of emitted light, radiation forces
  12. Dressed atom picture: resonance fluorescence, dipole forces
  13. Optical molasses and beam slowing
  14. Bose-Einstein condensation
  15. To be announced

Problem solving sessions

The Problem Solving Sessions will be in Room 26-152 (Teal Room), from 4 - 5:30 p.m. Mon-Thursday.

The CUA Summer School in atomic physics is based on a two-term sequence presented at MIT for graduate students entering the field (Physics 8.421, 8.422). (Each term is given in an alternate year.) Problem solving is an important part of the curriculum and each week there is generally a hefty assignment. However, there is no time for such assignments in a concentrated course, even if one were willing to work all night after listening to lectures all day. As an alternative, we are providing problem solving sessions in which you will work in small groups on problems which are hopefully both tractable and instructional. The work will not be graded or handed in, and there will be no tests. So, we hope that you will be able to relax and enjoy the activities. A number of graduates of the course will be present to answer questions, perhaps ask some questions, and generally help to point the way.