Dynamics with Cold Atoms: Near and Far from Equilibrium

Ultracold atoms have recently emerged as a new platform to study
models of strongly interacting many-body systems, which are relevant
in various fields from nuclear physics to condensed matter physics, in
a controlled environment. In this talk, I will briefly review how cold
atoms can shed light on interesting condensed matter systems. The
dynamics of these systems close to equilibrium, combined with the
unique measurement tools available in this platform, can provide
information about many-body correlations, which can be used to
identify novel phases in these strongly interacting systems. I will
use optical lattice modulation spectroscopy as an example to
illustrate this point. Cold atoms also provide an opportunity to study
the intrinsic dynamics of strongly interacting quantum systems far
from equilibrium, which is not readily available in standard condensed
matter systems. In this context, I will present results on
non-equilibrium relaxation dynamics of high energy excitations in a
Fermi Hubbard model.