Modern Atomic Physics

Catalog description

Light-atom interactions, atomic structure, laser cooling and trapping, interferometry, and Bose-Einstein condensation. PHYS 571 Modern Atomic Physics (3) Students will learn the physics behind most of the major recent developments in the field of atomic physics, at the level required for research at the graduate level. Material to be covered will include selected topics from the following list: Light-atom interactions, atomic structure, laser cooling, atom trapping and atomic optics, atom interferometry, precision measurements with atoms, quantum computing with atoms, atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, degenerate Fermi gases, reduced dimensionality systems, simulating condensed matter physics with atoms. Students will enhance their technical writing and presentation skills. Students will use the background they have acquired to develop an oral presentation related on a research advance related to modern atomic physics.