Seminars will be held in room S-141 in the Physics and Astronomy Department building on Mondays at 3:45 PM, unless noted otherwise.
| October 27, 2025 Prof. Matt Jaffe Montana State University Optical cavities for quantum information science and precision gravity measurements (Host: Ash Kumar) |
Neutral atoms have emerged in recent years as a leading qubit candidate for quantum computing. Atom interferometers, meanwhile, provide precise measurements of very weak gravitational forces. Both of these applications use optical fields to write-in / read-out information, as well as to trap and manipulate the atoms. Optical resonators have been used to enhance such atom-photon interactions, constituting the field of cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED).
In this talk, I will discuss two experiments being designed and built in our new lab at Montana State University. The first will develop and utilize novel high numerical aperture optical resonators enabling strong single-atom/single-photon coupling even at low to moderate finesse. I will describe use cases of these resonators with neutral atom qubits, such as Purcell-enhanced cavity tweezer arrays for fast readout, entanglement distribution and scalable trapping. The second experiment uses a more traditional cavity geometry to realize a compact, high-sensitivity mobile atomic gravimeter / gradiometer. Such an apparatus can be small enough to serve as a drone payload, with sufficient sensitivity to conduct relevant field surveys of gravitational signatures in geophysics, underground resource monitoring, and non-invasive archaeology. |
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| December 8, 2025 Prof. Nikolay Golubev University of Arizona Ultrafast charge migration in atoms, molecules, and solids (Host: Tom Weinacht) |
Photoinduced molecular processes play a key role in physics, chemistry, and biology. In nature, light triggers a large variety of chemical reactions such as photosynthesis, vision, and the formation of vitamin D, but also can cause the radiation damage of biomolecules and photolysis. Furthermore, the interaction of light with matter forms the basis of important technological applications such as solar cells in which photoinduced charge transfer and light harvesting are essential. What all these processes have in common is capturing the energy of light and its transformation into other forms of energy like heat, electricity, or chemical energy. On a microscopic level, this energy conversion process is the result of correlated motion of electrons and nuclei after photoexcitation or photoionization of matter. In this talk, I will discuss our theoretical developments aimed at describing the ultrafast quantum dynamics arising during and after the interaction of atoms, molecules, and solids with intense ultrashort laser pulses. I will present several fully quantum and semiclassical approaches capable of simulating the field-induced electronic and electron-nuclear dynamics in matter in real time and space. Turning theory into practice, I will discuss the possibilities to trace the ultrafast quantum dynamics by means of attosecond transient-absorption spectroscopy and attosecond electron diffraction imaging. I will present applications of our developed theoretical techniques to interpret recent pioneering experiments measuring properties of matter with atomic resolution and on attosecond time scales. Advancing this area of research not only deepens our understanding of the behavior and properties of molecules but may also ultimately help us comprehend the diversity of the world and even the origins of life. |
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| December 12, 2025, 2:30PM Dr. Michael Mei Menlo Systems Photonics-based precision metrology: from research to products for industry (Host: Dominik Schneble) |
Optical clocks, ultracold atoms, and quantum optics experiments demand tools that offer extreme stability, precision, and reliability. Optical frequency combs and ultrastable lasers have become central to this progress, enabling coherent links between optical and microwave domains, high-precision spectroscopy, and state-of-the-art time and frequency dissemination. In this presentation, Menlo Systems will showcase the latest developments in frequency comb technology and ultrastable lasers tailored to the needs of quantum science and optical metrology. Through real-world implementations and collaborations, we demonstrate how Menlo’s technologies are enabling the next generation of quantum-enabled experiments and precision measurements. |
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