News

Thu December 3, 2020

Physicists capture the sound of a “perfect” fluid

The results should help scientists study the viscosity in neutron stars, the plasma of the early universe, and other strongly interacting fluids.

Read More »
News type:
CUA in the News
Research Highlights
Tue November 10, 2020

New phase transition in the standard model of quantum optics

Proposed in 1954 by Robert H. Dicke, the Dicke `spin-boson’ model is among the most successful paradigms to describe the interaction of light and matter. Modeling the coupling of an ensemble of spins or atoms to a harmonic oscillator, it is thus sometimes referred to as the “standard model of quantum optics.” As discovered in...
Read More »
News type:
Research Highlights
Sat September 5, 2020

A Polariton-Stabilized Spin Clock

Figure: A polaritonic-stabilized spin clock. The reference probe field at frequency ω with intensity I is is split into a local oscillator and probe. The latter is sent to the resonant system, which consists of NV centers in diamond with population relaxation rate γ coupled to a microwave cavity at rate g. Atomic clocks are...
Read More »
News type:
Research Highlights
Mon July 20, 2020

Uncovering the mystery of the disappearing molecules

Ultracold molecules are a research frontier that builds upon the many successes of ultracold atoms in the study of quantum science. There has been much experimental effort dedicated to the realization of trapped gaseous samples of ultracold molecules. In fact, various research groups from around the world have successfully demonstrated methods to bring samples of...
Read More »
News type:
Research Highlights
Mon July 20, 2020

Controlled Collisions of Exactly two Ultracold Molecules

One of the fundamental questions in the study of ultracold polar molecules is “what happens when two molecules collide at ultracold temperatures?” Knowing whether the molecules undergo chemical reactions, form long lived complexes, change internal state, or bounce off each other carries important implications which will guide future research directions. Our recent experiment explores this...
Read More »
News type:
Research Highlights
Mon July 13, 2020

Mirror symmetry breaks and determines exciton dipole orientation in atomically thin semiconductors

The structural engineering of van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures via stacking and twisting has been recently used to create moiré superlattices, enabling engineering of the optical and electronic properties of solid-state systems reminiscent to ultracold atomic gases. Indeed, recent experiments on transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), a class of layered vdW semiconductors, have shown that moiré...
Read More »
News type:
Research Highlights
Wed July 8, 2020

Scalable assembly of artificial atoms in photonic chips

A central goal in quantum information processing is the development of scalable quantum processors and quantum networks. Towards this end, solid-state “artificial atoms” such as colour centres in diamond are especially promising because they combine efficient optical interfaces, minutes of spin coherence, and potentially very-large-scale fabrication. Indeed, in the past 20 years of quantum engineering,...
Read More »
News type:
Research Highlights
Thu June 25, 2020

Single molecules assembled and under control!

In a recent publication in PRL, we demonstrate the assembly of a single molecule with full quantum state control – including both internal and external states – starting from a single pair of atoms. Molecules, compared to their atom counterparts, generally possess a much richer internal structure and can interact with each other via long-range...
Read More »
News type:
Research Highlights
Sat June 13, 2020

‘Photon crystals’ could be made using Rydberg atoms

Physicists in the US have come up with a way of making photons repel each other by sending them through an ultracold atomic gas. This astonishing feat could lead to the creation of “photon crystals” and exotic quantum states such as a Mott insulator.   Image caption: In vacuum optical system for photon-photon interactions.
Read More »
News type:
Research Highlights
Tue June 9, 2020

Black Lives Matter

CUA Equity Journal Club, every-other Wednesday at 1:30PM ET for students, postdocs, and faculty. Contact Alyssa Rudelis at rudelis@mit.edu for more details.
Read More »