Random Interactions
Towards quantum simulations of chemical and biological processes using ultra-cold Rydberg atoms
by Dr. Sebastian Wuester (MPIPKS, Dresden)
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
from
to
(Asia/Kolkata)
at A304
at A304
Description |
Ultracold Rydberg atoms constituting a ``frozen gas'' have become a versatile tool well beyond atomic physics and serve as experimentally accessible interacting many-body systems for quantum information and in condensed matter physics. While for those applications the residual atomic motion is usually an unavoidable perturbation and source of noise, we will use this motion for preserving coherent electronic transport, very much like in molecules. During acceleration of several Rydberg atoms due to resonant dipole-dipole interactions, the responsible Born-Oppenheimer surfaces of the atomic system provide an intricate link between atomic motion and excitation transport. This link allows the engineering of adiabatic exciton transport schemes, laboratory accessible conical intersections or mesoscopic entangled atom clouds. These conical intersections among dipole Born-Oppenheimer surfaces allow the detailed monitoring of many-body dynamics near the intersection and can further be functionalised as switches for exciton transport. On shorter time scales where motion is no longer crucial, the system shows parallels to energy transport in light harvesting complexes. Consequently Rydberg atoms can provide a clean analog system for the quantum simulation of photosynthetic energy transport, into which crucial complex features like disorder and decoherence can be introduced in a controlled manner. This control can be achieved by embedding the assembly of Rydberg atoms into a background atomic gas. After a brief overview of the concept of quantum simulation and analogies to ultra cold atom systems recently exploited by a number of disciplines, I will focus on the above studies related to chemical problems and the prospects to describe biological processes. |