Physics 8.421 Spring 2020

 

                                ATOMIC AND OPTICAL PHYSICS

 

 

 

Room

Tel.

e-mail

Lecturer:

Prof. Wolfgang Ketterle

26-243

253-6815

ketterle@mit.edu

Online:

Prof. Isaac Chuang

26-251

253-1692

ichuang@mit.edu

Assistants:

Michael Alan Cantara

 

 

cantara@mit.edu

 

Sergio Hiram Cantu

 

 

scantu@mit.edu

 

Zeyang Li

 

 

zyli@mit.edu

 

Yiqi Ni

 

 

yxni@mit.edu

 

Cedric Chinua Wilson

 

 

wilsonc@mit.edu

Secretary:

Joanna Keseberg

26-237

253-6830

j_k@mit.edu

 

Lectures:

Mondays, Wednesdays1:00-2:30pm via Zoom

First day of classes: Mon, 2/3

WK office hours: Tue 1:30-2:30 or by appointment (just send an e-mail), starting 2/11

 

TA office hours:

Fridays 1:30 – 2:30 via Zoom

TAs for module 3: Michael and Cedric

TAs for module 4: Cedric and Zeyang

TAs for module 5: Zeyang and Sergio

 

Important links:

Residential MITx site for 8.421 with lecture videos and online problems

https://lms.mitx.mit.edu/courses/course-v1:MITx+8.421r+2020_Spring/

 

Atomic Physics Wiki (serves as online text book)

https://amowiki.odl.mit.edu

temporary access gate: username = bloch, password = theorem

 

Stellar Web Site (for grades and term paper submissions)

http://stellar.mit.edu/S/course/8/sp20/8.421/

 

Course info and calendar    Recommended books
Course requirements (updated, no midterm quiz)

 

Web Site for 2016                   Web Site for 8.422 (2017)

 

 

Current assignments: (old assignments are at the end of the page)

The due dates on this page are the valid ones.  If the MITx page or other pages show different due dates, ignore those.

Assignements for Video Lectures:  You should watch the video lectures before the disussion sessions where I assume that you are familiar with the material of the lectures.

 

 

Feedback questionnaire:  https://forms.gle/W56sVGfXgzd3m1QRA

 

Mon, 5/11:  last class, term paper due

Optional PSet on Superradiance in a Bose-Einstein Condensate (will receive extra credit if submitted by Fri, 5/15)

Paper version

background material on the derivation of the four-wave mixing Hamiltonian pdf

Online version PSet M5.PS3

(both versions have the same questions)

 

 

Projected Lecture Write-ups (from 2014)

Module 1:  Resonance

Module 2:  Atoms   External fields

Module 3:  Atom-light interaction

Module 4:  Line broadening   Two-photon processes

Module 5:  Coherence

 

Papers for further reading

Module 1:       Nuclear clock

                        Photon antibunching

                        Heisenberg limit:  Beyond Heisenberg L.   Universality of HL   T^3 atom interferometer

Module 2:       Dirac equation    Zitterbewegung

Lamb shift review      Bethe and Salpeter book

Lamb shift in two-level system  Paper1   Paper2

Spherical tensors      Wiki article on Wigner-Eckart theorem (worth reading)

write-up on electronic structure and magnetic moments of lanthanides

Module 3:       Einstein 1917 paper pdf

                        Dan Kleppner’s Phys. Today column on Einstein’s paper  pdf

                        Shift of center of light emission due to orbital angular momentum of the photon:  paper

Module 4:       Paper on Bragg spectroscopy (Doppler broadening in a BEC)

                        Paper on Standing Wave vs. Two Travelling Waves

 

Module 5:       Lounis and Cohen-Tannoudj paper on Fano profile  pdf

Dicke paper on Superradiance  pdf

Superradiant Rayleigh Scattering from a Bose-Einstein Condensate  pdf

Dicke:  The Coherence Brightened Laser  pdf

entanglement of many atoms by a single photon   Reichel group     Vuletic group

 

________________________________________________________________________________________

Old assignments:

Wed, 2/5:

get familiar with the interface, watch the following lectures and do the embedded

concept questions:  Resonance and HO of M1.1

Before-class questions: https://forms.gle/VLRWYcHfmXdJnpHu6      Answers

 

Mon, 2/10:

            Finish Videos on Classical Resonance, M1.1

            Do PSet M1.PS1 (very little, mainly to try out the interface)

            Before-class questions:  https://forms.gle/z7NYBKQpL6qbR6uq5      Answers

 

Wed, 2/12

            Videos M1.2

            Before-class questions:  https://forms.gle/hH4fWzTiqavxv4gf7      Answers

 

Tue, 2/18 (which is Monday schedule for MIT)

            PSet due: M1.PS2

            Videos M1.3

            Before-class questions:  https://forms.gle/sgLw19XJJpSwW67s5      Answers

 

Wed, 2/19

            Videos M2.1

            Before class questions:  https://forms.gle/kF9fzDjjcPNzXF4XA    Answers

 

Mon, 2/24

            PSet due: M1.PS3

            Videos M2.2

            Before class questions: https://forms.gle/k4nsT6P7GDND7VbNA      Answers

 

Wed, 2/26

            None (TA led discussion)

 

Mon, 3/2

            PSet due: M2.PS1, M2.PS2b

            Videos:  M2.3 Atoms in magnetic fields, Review (14 concept questions)

            Before class questions: https://forms.gle/P6JJHDbbedG9E3My8      Answers

 

Wed, 3/4

            Videos: M2.3 Atoms in electric fields

            Before class questions: https://forms.gle/TzSHaF2jFQhZU47x7       Answers

 

Mon, 3/9

            M2, PSet 3

Videos:  M3.1 Part 1:  Symmetry and Selection Rules

            Before class questions: https://forms.gle/oUxSHcXEwU9BUHZw7     Answers

 

Wed, 3/11

Videos:  M3.1 Part 2:  Atom light interactions:  Broadband versus narrowband excitation

            Before class questions #10: https://forms.gle/dKjcDWHsJJkc8j1f7     Answers

 

Mon, 3/30

            No new video assignment and before class questions:  We will wrap up previous topics.

            Paper Homework Module 2  NOW DUE MONDAY 3/30   Solutions

 

Wed, 4/1   Videos M3.2 Quantized Field

            Before class questions #11: https://forms.gle/ThVPPv4vzEyzLNzR8   Answers

            Thu, 4/2: PSet M3.PS1

 

Mon, 4/6   Videos M3.3

            Before class questions #12: https://forms.gle/xQquSEtJiEQNzXpw5... Answers

            PSet M3.PS2

 

Wed, 4/8   Videos 4.1

            Before class questions #13:  https://forms.gle/5UX7W5cTtUbfHHnT8 ... Answers

            Thu, 4/9: Pset M3.PS3

 

Mon, 4/13   TA led discussion, no video assignment, no pre-class questions

            Paper Homework Module 3 due    Solutions

 

Wed, 4/15   Videos 4.2

            Before class questions #14:  https://forms.gle/btpjffGoCVGmstqm9  Answers

            PSet M4.PS1

 

Mon, 4/20 Patriot’s Day vacation

            Tue, 4/21:  Paper Homework Module 4 due    Solutions

 

Wed, 4/22   Videos 4.3

            Before class questions #15   https://forms.gle/dtLMHSmFditdcDuGA  Answers

            Thu, 4/23: PSet M4.PS2

 

Mon, 4/27   Videos M5.1

            Before class questions #16   https://forms.gle/xcxk6Nb1Y9kdBdNeA  Answers

            PSet M4.PS3

 

Wed, 4/29   Videos M5.2 Part 1 (STIRAP, LWI)

            Before class questions #17 (sorry for the late posting)  https://forms.gle/1aQCPYzj1KNBqPnJ8   Answers

Fri, 5/1:  PSet M5.PS1 (very short)

 

Mon, 5/4   Videos M5.2 Part 2 (EIT, slow light)

            Before class questions #18  https://forms.gle/f8eB2ULKjxAiuJCcA   Answers

 

Wed, 5/6   Videos M5.3

            Before class questions #19   https://forms.gle/HvExDr4aLCHeGo7EA   Answers

            PSet M5.PS2