Events in Physics
Simon Gardiner, Durham
Dynamics in atom optics: Quantum resonances and condensates in ring traps
Cold atomic are an ideal medium in which to observe quantum dynamics. Quantum resonances are an example of a dramatically quantum effect, and can manifest in a variety of different ways. I will cover recent theoretical progress with a particular view to possible experimental implementations in an atom-optical context. Recently, experiments have been performed on atomic Bose-Einstein condensates in toroidal trap geometries, enabling, e.g., the observation of persistent flow in a cold-atoms context. I will present some recent ideas on two-species condensates in an idealized effective 1D ring geometry, which may offer possibilities in atom-optical Sagnac interferometry.