This volume provides a broad overview of the principal theoretical techniques applied to non-equilibrium and finite temperature quantum gases. Covering Bose-Einstein condensates, degenerate Fermi gases, and the more recently realised exciton-polariton condensates, it fills a gap by linking between different methods with origins in condensed matter physics, quantum field theory, quantum optics, atomic physics, and statistical mechanics.
The 1995 observation of Bose-Einstein condensation in dilute atomic vapours spawned the field of ultracold, degenerate quantum gases. Unprecedented developments in experimental design and precision control have led to quantum gases becoming the preferred playground for designer quantum many-body systems.This self-contained volume provides a broad overview of the principal theoretical techniques applied to non-equilibrium and finite temperature quantum gases. Covering Bose-Einstein condensates, degenerate Fermi gases, and the more recently realised exciton-polariton condensates, it fills a gap by linking between different methods with origins in condensed matter physics, quantum field theory, quantum optics, atomic physics, and statistical mechanics. Thematically organised chapters on different methodologies, contributed by key researchers using a unified notation, provide the first integrated view of the relative merits of individual approaches, aided by pertinent introductory chapters and the guidance of editorial notes.Both graduate students and established researchers wishing to understand the state of the art will greatly benefit from this comprehensive and up-to-date review of non-equilibrium and finite temperature techniques in the exciting and expanding field of quantum gases and liquids./a
The observation of Bose Einstein condensation in a dilute gas of rubidium in 1995 spawned the new field of ultra-cold, degenerate quantum gases. Unprecedented developments in experimental design and precision control have led to quantum gases becoming the preferred playground for designer quantum many-body systems. This self-contained volume provides a broad overview of the principal theoretical approaches applied to non-equilibrium and finite temperature quantum gases. It covers Bose Einstein condensates, degenerate Fermi gases, and the more recently realised exciton-polariton condensates in solid state systems. This book fills a gap by providing links between different approaches which have their origins in condensed matter physics, quantum field theory, quantum optics, atomic physics and statistical mechanics. The chapters describing different methodologies have been authored by key researchers in their development, and are organised according to their basic assumptions. The volume uses a unified notation, contains numerous introductory chapters, and is accompanied by editorial notes to guide the reader, providing the first integrated and comparative view of the benefits and shortcomings of the individual approaches. This book is aimed at both graduate students and established researchers wishing to understand the state of the art in non-equilibrium and finite temperature techniques in the exciting and expanding field of quantum gases and liquids.
Quantum phenomena of many-particle systems are fascinating in their complexity and are consequently not fully understood and largely untapped in terms of practical applications. Ultracold gases provide a unique platform to build up model systems of quantum many-body physics with highly controlled microscopic constituents. In this way, many-body quantum phenomena can be investigated with an unprecedented level of precision, and control and models that cannot be solved with present day computers may be studied using ultracold gases as a quantum simulator.This book addresses the need for a comprehensive description of the most important advanced experimental methods and techniques that have been developed along with the theoretical framework in a clear and applicable format. The focus is on methods that are especially crucial in probing and understanding the many-body nature of the quantum phenomena in ultracold gases and most topics are covered both from a theoretical and experimental viewpoint, with interrelated chapters written by experts from both sides of research.Graduate students and post-doctoral researches working on ultracold gases will benefit from this book, as well as researchers from other fields who wish to gain an overview of the recent fascinating developments in this very dynamically evolving field. Sufficient level of both detailed high level research and a pedagogical approach is maintained throughout the book so as to be of value to those entering the field as well as advanced researchers. Furthermore, both experimentalists and theorists will benefit from the book; close collaboration between the two are continuously driving the field to a very high level and will be strengthened to continue the important progress yet to be made in the field.
This thesis explores the physics of non-equilibrium quantum dynamics in homogeneous two-dimensional (2D) quantum gases. Ultracold quantum gases driven out of equilibrium have been prominent platforms for studying quantum many-body physics. However, probing non-equilibrium dynamics in conventionally trapped, inhomogeneous atomic quantum gases has been a challenging task because coexisting mass transport and spreading of quantum correlations often complicate experimental analyses. In this work, the author solves this technical hurdle by producing ultracold cesium atoms in a quasi-2D optical box potential. The exquisite optical trap allows one to remove density inhomogeneity in a degenerate quantum gas and control its dimensionality. The author also details the development of a high-resolution, in situ imaging technique to monitor the evolution of collective excitations and quantum transport down to atomic shot-noise, and at the length scale of elementary collective excitations. Meanwhile, tunable Feshbach resonances in ultracold cesium atoms permit precise and dynamical control of interactions with high temporal and even spatial resolutions. By employing these state-of-the-art techniques, the author performed interaction quenches to control the generation and evolution of quasiparticles in quantum gases, presenting the first direct measurement of quantum entanglement between interaction quench generated quasiparticle pairs in an atomic superfluid. Quenching to attractive interactions, this work shows stimulated emission of quasiparticles, leading to amplified density waves and fragmentation, forming 2D matter-wave Townes solitons that were previously considered impossible to form in equilibrium due to their instability. This thesis unveils a set of scale-invariant and universal quench dynamics and provides unprecedented tools to explore quantum entanglement transport in a homogenous quantum gas.
This book provides authoritative tutorials on the most recent achievements in the field of quantum gases at the interface between atomic physics and quantum optics, condensed matter physics, nuclear and high-energy physics, non-linear physics, and quantum information.
The rapidly developing topic of ultracold atoms has many actual and potential applications for condensed-matter science, and the contributions to this book emphasize these connections. Ultracold Bose and Fermi quantum gases are introduced at a level appropriate for first-year graduate students and non-specialists such as more mature general physicists. The reader will find answers to questions like: how are experiments conducted and how are the results interpreted? What are the advantages and limitations of ultracold atoms in studying many-body physics? How do experiments on ultracold atoms facilitate novel scientific opportunities relevant to the condensed-matted community? This volume seeks to be comprehensible rather than comprehensive; it aims at the level of a colloquium, accessible to outside readers, containing only minimal equations and limited references. In large part, it relies on many beautiful experiments from the past fifteen years and their very fruitful interplay with basic theoretical ideas. In this particular context, phenomena most relevant to condensed-matter science have been emphasized. - Introduces ultracold Bose and Fermi quantum gases at a level appropriate for non-specialists - Discusses landmark experiments and their fruitful interplay with basic theoretical ideas - Comprehensible rather than comprehensive, containing only minimal equations
The aim of this primer is to cover the essential theoretical information, quickly and concisely, in order to enable senior undergraduate and beginning graduate students to tackle projects in topical research areas of quantum fluids, for example, solitons, vortices and collective modes. The selection of the material, both regarding the content and level of presentation, draws on the authors analysis of the success of relevant research projects with newcomers to the field, as well as of the students feedback from many taught and self-study courses on the subject matter. Starting with a brief historical overview, this text covers particle statistics, weakly interacting condensates and their dynamics and finally superfluid helium and quantum turbulence. At the end of each chapter (apart from the first) there are some exercises. Detailed solutions can be made available to instructors upon request to the authors.
Arising from a workshop, this book surveys the physics of ultracold atoms and molecules taking into consideration the latest research on ultracold phenomena, such as Bose Einstein condensation and quantum computing. Several reputed authors provide an introduction to the field, covering recent experimental results on atom and molecule cooling as well as the theoretical treatment.
This work presents a series of experiments with ultracold one-dimensional Bose gases, which establish said gases as an ideal model system for exploring a wide range of non-equilibrium phenomena. With the help of newly developed tools, like full distributions functions and phase correlation functions, the book reveals the emergence of thermal-like transient states, the light-cone-like emergence of thermal correlations and the observation of generalized thermodynamic ensembles. This points to a natural emergence of classical statistical properties from the microscopic unitary quantum evolution, and lays the groundwork for a universal framework of non-equilibrium physics. The thesis investigates a central question that is highly contested in quantum physics: how and to which extent does an isolated quantum many-body system relax? This question arises in many diverse areas of physics, and many of the open problems appear at vastly different energy, time and length scales, ranging from high-energy physics and cosmology to condensed matter and quantum information. A key challenge in attempting to answer this question is the scarcity of quantum many-body systems that are both well isolated from the environment and accessible for experimental study.
