PhD Defenses

PHYSICS DISSERTATION DEFENSE: Yudan Guo

Date

Fri June 18th 2021, 12:00pm

Ph.D. Candidate: Yudan Guo

Research Advisor: Benjamin Lev

Date: Friday, June 18th, 2021

Time: 12:00 pm

Zoom link: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/95042123576

Zoom password: mail mariaf67 [at] stanford.edu (mariaf67[at]stanford[dot]edu) for password

Title: Photon-Mediated Atom-Atom Interaction in a Multimode Confocal Cavity

Abstract: Engineering complex and exotic many body states is a long-standing goal for ultracold atom experiments, for which strong and tunable interaction is a crucial ingredient. In this thesis, I will describe our experimental efforts using photons in a multimode confocal cavity to mediate effective interaction among atoms confined within the cavity. In contrast with more traditional optical cavities where only a single fundamental Gaussian mode is coupled to the atoms, a multimode confocal cavity can support near-degenerate resonances that are well approximated by a continuum of photon modes. Superposition of cavity modes with incommensurate spatial profiles then gives rise to supermodes that adapt to atom configurations and allow for further shaping of the interatomic potential landscape.