Host: M. Chapman/C. Parker

Title: Observing a mesoscopic quantum system made of atoms and light

Abstract: Ever since the theory of quantum mechanics was dreamed up a century ago, physicists have been constructing experimental systems of growing complexity in which quantum mechanical effects are dominant, controllable, and visible.  I will discuss how we build controlled quantum systems, and putative quantum devices, using two main ingredients: ultracold atoms (cooled to temperatures in the micro- and even nano-Kelvin range) and quantum states of light.  Distinctly, these quantum systems are open, and we study their evolution while they are being driven, dissipating energy, and under measurement, altogether bringing fundamental concepts in quantum mechanics to light.  Recent highlights include observing the dynamics of symmetry breaking in mesoscopic systems, observing transitions from limit cycles to static self-organized phases, and realizing rapid mid-circuit measurement and feedforward control in a platform that supports quantum computing.

Bio: Dan Stamper-Kurn came to Berkeley following his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ph.D. 2000) and postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology (1999 – 2001). He is the recipient of the 2000 APS Division of Atomic, Optical and Molecular Physics Outstanding Thesis award, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2001 – 2003), the David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering (2002 – 2007), and the Presidential Young Investigator Award in Science and Engineering (2002). He holds the Class of 1936 Second Chair in the College of Letters and Sciences (2007 – 2012), and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Optical Society of America.