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MIT Physics 8.422

Atomic and optical Physics

(2017)

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FROM THE COURSE CATALOG

8.422 Atomic and Optical Physics II

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Prereq: 8.05
Units: 3-0-9
URL: http://web.mit.edu/physics/subjects/index.html
Lecture: MW1-2.30 (26-142)

The second of a two-term subject sequence that provides the foundations for contemporary research in selected areas of atomic and optical physics. Non-classical states of light- squeezed states; multi-photon processes, Raman scattering; coherence- level crossings, quantum beats, double resonance, superradiance; trapping and cooling- light forces, laser cooling, atom optics, spectroscopy of trapped atoms and ions; atomic interactions- classical collisions, quantum scattering theory, ultracold collisions; and experimental methods.
W. Ketterle

Lectures: Mon. & Wed. (and some Fri.) 1:00 pm -2:30pm, Room 26-142

Instructor: Prof. Wolfgang Ketterle, 26-243 <ketterle@mit.edu>

Office hours: Wed 2:30 – 3:30, or email me

TAs: Sergio Hiram Cantu, Jules Stuart, Junru Li, Zachary Michael Vendeiro, Woo Chang Chung

Textbook: see website

Grading: Homework (10 problem sets) 50%, Term paper 50%

Schedule: final term paper due on May 18, 2017

Web site: http://cua.mit.edu/8.422

Course Calendar

will be updated for recitation/lecture/discussion, homework due dates

Monday	Wednesday
	Feb 8 L1:Introduction
Feb 13 L2: Start Module 1	Feb 15 L3
Feb 20 Presidents Day – Holiday Tuesday, Feb 21 MONDAY SCHEDULE OF CLASSES TO BE HELD L4	Feb 22 L5
Feb 27 L6	Mar 1 L7
March 6 L8	Mar 8 L9: Start Module 2	Mar 10 ADD date
Mar 13 L 10: TA lecture 1 Sergio Cantu	Mar 15 L 11 cancelled	Mar 17 HW Module 2 #1, #2
Mar 20 L12	Mar 22 L13	Mar 24 Make-up class for L11 HW Module 2 #3
Mar 27 Spring break	Mar 29 Spring break
Apr 3 L14: Start Module 3	Apr 5 L15
Apr 10 L16 HW Module 3 #1 #2	Apr 12 L17
Apr 17 MIT holiday (Patriots Day) NO CLASS 4/18: HW Module 3:#3 # 4	Apr 19 L 18 Start Module 4
Apr 24 L 19	Apr 26 L20 TA lecture 2 Zackary Vandeiro	Apr 27 THURSDAY DROP DATE
May 1 L21 HW Module 4: #1, #2	May 3 L22 TA Lecture 3 Woo Chang Chung	May 5, Friday Paper HW Module 4
May 8 L23 Start Module 5 HW Module 4: #3, #4	May 10 L24 TA lecture 4 Junru Li	May 12 L25 TA lecture 5 Jules Stuart
May 15 L26	May 17 L27 HW Module 5: #1	May 18 (THURSDAY) Term papers due

The 8.422 course is broken into five modules:

• Module 1: Quantum states and dynamics of photons – This module covers the quantum description of light, non-classical states of light, single photons, squeezed states of light, teleportation, the quantum beam splitter, entangled states, metrology with light, shot noise and Heisenberg limit, photon and atom correlation functions.
• Module 2: Atom-photon interactions – This module covers the QED Hamiltonian, diagrams for light-atom interactions, van der Waals and Casimir interactions, resonant scattering and radiative corrections
• Module 3: Optical Bloch equations and open system dynamics – This module includes a general derivation of master equations, derivation of the optical Bloch equations, various solutions of the optical Bloch equations, the quantum Monte Carlo wavefunction approach, and unraveling open system quantum dynamics.
• Module 4: Light forces and laser cooling – This module covers the spontaneous and stimulated light force, friction force in molasses and optical standing waves, light forces in the dressed atom picture, magneto-optical traps, sub-Doppler and sub-recoil cooling
• Module 5: Ultracold atoms and ions for many-body physics and quantum information science – This module covers ultracold bosons and fermions, Bose-Einstein condensation, weakly interacting Bose gases, superfluid to Mott insulator transition, BEC-BCS crossover, trapped ions and quantum gates with ions.