Decreasing T

1. Hot topics in atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics Ultra-cold (CSA, IGH, SLC, NPP) Ultra-intense (RMP) Laser cooling Precision measurements clocks, fundamental tests Nobel Prize 1997 GSI, Darmstadt Ultra-fast (RMP) BEC Nobel Prize 2001 Interstellar media (DRF) Cold molecules 1K Decreasing T http://www.mpq.mpg.de/~haensch/bec Ultra-cold molecules 100nK (2003) Condensed matter physics with the precision of atomic physics http://exphys.uibk.ac.at/ultracold/

2. Atomic and molecular processes in the interstellar media University of Durham DRF Carolyn McCoey • 1. Rovibrational excitation of interstellar molecules at low energies • H2 - H2, H2 - CO, H2 - NH3, H2 - CH3OH • Excitation of fine structure transitions in atoms at low energies • e.g. H2 - C( 2p23PJ ), H2 - O( 2p43PJ ) • Collaborators: Stephen Davis (Virginia, USA) • Evelyne Roueff, Marie-Lise Dubernet (Meudon) • Silvia Leurini, Peter Schilke (Bonn) • 2. Shocks in regions of star formation • MHD model of shock waves: chemical reactions • cooling processes • Predict: rovibrational spectrum of H2; • intensities of emission lines (e.g. [CI] and [FeII]). • Compare with observations • Collaborators: Carolyn McCoey • Guillaume Pineau des Forêts, • Jacques Le Bourlot, Sylvie Cabrit (Paris) • Teresa Giannini (Rome), • Malcolm Walmsley (Firenze) • Star formation in the primordial gas • Collaborator: Guillaume Pineau des Forêts (Paris)

3. Atom and ions in intense laser pulses University of Durham Staff: RMP Graduate students: Ciprian Chirila • 1. Ultra-short (few-cycle) pulses: • Picture of the emission of an attosecond X-ray pulse • The magnetic field component of the laser pulse radically • modifies X-ray emission at high intensity. • Calculation of the distribution of photoelectrons produced by a • strong few-cycle 800 nm pulse incident on an atom of hydrogen. • 2. Ultra-strong pulses interacting with relativistic ions: • GSI (Darmstadt): • - Relativistic multicharged ions (Lorentz factor up to 20) collide with superintense laser pulses (up to 1021 W/cm2 at 1054 nm). • The group is developing new projects in this area • C C Chirila et al, Laser Phys. 14, 190 (2004). C C Chirila et al, unpublished GSI, Darmstadt

4. Non-linear spectroscopy University of Durham Staff: IGH Graduate students: Graham Purves, David Smith Collaborators: CSA Financial support: EPSRC Velocity selective optical pumping Non-linear Sagnac interferometry Rapid spectral variation of absorption and refractive index Smith et al. Am. J. Phys 72 631 (2004) Jundt et al. Eur. Phys. J D 27 273-276 (2003) Photonics Purves et al. Eur. Phys. J D (2004) • super-luminal light propagation • “slow” and trapped light • Dark-state polaritons • Can the group refractive index really be 106? • optical delay lines • optical storage and memory • dither-free laser lock signal Wynands (PTB) Precision Magnetometry Optically pumped gradiometer for magnetocardiography~ 100fT/Hz1/2

5. Laser cooling and trapping University of Durham Staff: CSA, Simon Cox Graduate students: Paul Griffin, Kevin Weatherill Matt Pritchard Collaborators: E. Riis (Strathclyde) Previously: Hilary Davies (Ph.D. 12/99) K. Szymaniec Financial support: EPSRC GR/R18420 £311k EPSRC GR/A90367 £229k http://massey.dur.ac.uk/research_bec.html Adams et al. PRL 74, 3577 (1995); Davidson et al. PRL 74, 1311 (1995); Lee et al. PRL 76, 2658 (1996). Szymaniec et al. Europhys. Lett. 45, 450 (1999). Davies et al. PRA 63, 012413 (2000). Davies et al. J. Phys. B. 33, 4079 (2000). Adams et al. J. Phys. B 36, 1933 (2003). Cox et al. Rev. Sci. Instrim. 74, 1311 (2003).

6. 0 10 20 30 40 Time (ms) 106 Rb atoms guided Magnetic manipulation of cold atoms Staff: IGH Graduate students: David Smith Matt Pritchard Collaborators: CSA, Ed Hinds Financial support: EPSRC Magnetic focussing Saba et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 468 (1999). Key et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 84 1124 (2000). Pritchard et al. preprint.

7. Experimental Bose-Einstein Condensation University of Durham TR/2 later 87 Rb 133 Cs Remnant Burst focus 2. Quantum Degenerate Mixtures: 1. 85Rb BEC Experiment: BEC with Tunable Interactions Cs Feshbach Resonances Thomas et al, J. Opt. B Quant. Semiclass. Opt. 5, S107 (2003) Creation of Ultracold Molecules Cornish et al, PRL 85, 1795 (2000) Condensate Collapse: “The Bosenova” Staff: Simon Cornish, CSA Students: Margaret Harris Malcolm Parks Patrick Tierney Finance: Royal Society EPSRC GR/S78339/01 Donley et al, Nature 412, 295 (2001)

8. BEC theory University of Durham Staff: Nick Proukakis, CSA Graduate students: Eleni Sakellari Nick Parker Collaborators: C. F. Barenghi (NCL) D. J. Frantzeskakis (Athens) H. T. C. Stoof (Utrecht) Previously: Mark Leadbeater (–11/02) Brian Jackson (Ph.D. 10/00) Thomas Winiecki (Ph.D. 10/01) J. F. McCann (QUB) Financial support: EPSRC GR/R53517 http://massey.dur.ac.uk/research_bec.html Superfluidity in atomic condensates Solitons, vortices Josephson effect Jackson et al. PRL 80, 3903 (1998). Winiecki et al. PRL 82, 5186 (1999). Leadbeater et al. PRL 86, 1410 (2001). Proukakis et al. PRL to appear Parker et al. PRL 90, 220401 (2003). Parker et al. PRL 92, 160403 (2004).

9. Coherent control of the formation of ultra-cold molecules I. A. Walmsley C. J. Foot T. Kohler IGH, CSA, SLC EPSRC £342k G. Roberts

10. Future plans: Fermionic dipolar superfluids BEC – BCS crossover http://atomcool.rice.edu/local/atomstar.jpg See e.g. Chen et al. cond-mat/0404274 Fermionic superfluids are robust? Dipolar 6Li – 40K Bartenstein et al. cond-mat/0403716

11. I Q University of Durham Institute for Quantum Matter M Aims: Ultra-cold quantum chemistry, quantum computing Currrent grant portfolio (EPSRC, RS) > £ 1.75 M Durham PhysicsDurham Chemistry C. S. Adams (761k)Prof. J. M. Hutson (165k) I. G. Hughes (342k?)Dr. E. Wrede (423k) S. L. Cornish (438k) Collaboration Newcastle Physics Prof. A. S. Dickinson Dr. G. Roberts Funding: OneNE EPSRC SRIF III £2 M (3 yrs)

12. Atomic and molecular physics University of Durham DRF, RMP, CSA, IGH, SLC, NPP Ultra-far Ultra-fast/intense Ultra-stable Ultra-cold