PIRSA:13080042

Atomic Physics in the Era of Control: What every physicist should know about the 2012 Physics Nobel Prize

Campbell, W. (2013). Atomic Physics in the Era of Control: What every physicist should know about the 2012 Physics Nobel Prize . Perimeter Institute. https://pirsa.org/13080042

Campbell, Wes. Atomic Physics in the Era of Control: What every physicist should know about the 2012 Physics Nobel Prize . Perimeter Institute, Aug. 16, 2013, https://pirsa.org/13080042 

          @misc{ pirsa_PIRSA:13080042,
            doi = {10.48660/13080042},
            url = {https://pirsa.org/13080042},
            author = {Campbell, Wes},
            keywords = {},
            language = {en},
            title = {Atomic Physics in the Era of Control: What every physicist should know about the 2012 Physics Nobel Prize },
            publisher = {Perimeter Institute},
            year = {2013},
            month = {aug},
            note = {PIRSA:13080042 see, \url{https://pirsa.org}}
          }

Wes Campbell University of California, Los Angeles

DOI 10.48660/13080042
Collection
Talk Type Conference

Abstract

To say that atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics underwent a revival in the 80s and 90s is to acknowledge that it was in need of reviving. Prior to this rebirth, high-quality research was being done in many labs, but it was primarily passive with respect to atomic motion. The demonstration of laser cooling in 1978 ushered in a new era where the full quantum states (internal and external) of atoms would be precisely controlled in the following decades. This control has essentially given today’s AMO physicist the power to “realize the gedanken” and build experiments that exploit quantum mechanics to perform computations, simulations, and measurements with tremendous speed and precision. I will discuss some of the current challenges and potential of this exciting time in the field of AMO physics through the lens of a case study of some of the work of this year’s Nobel Laureates, Dave Wineland and Serge Haroche.