Area D: Tailored Quantum States of Matter
Summary
The interplay between interactions and quantum fluctuations is at the very heart of quantum phase transitions and strongly correlated quantum phases. The main goal of this research area is to engineer and develop systems exhibiting novel states of matter such as spin liquid phases or topological phases. The latter is of special interest in applications for topological quantum computation. Moreover, the understanding of dynamical effects in strongly correlated systems is the basis of novel functionalities.
At the moment research in this field is being pursued on two very different platforms with little cross-disciplinary communication. In the area of solid state physics some of the PIs use a variety of spectroscopic methods in order to elucidate the principles underlying the formation of unconventional superconducting states in correlated-electron materials and their competition with other types of order, with a particular recent focus on electronic analogs of liquid-crystalline states. Lessons learned from research on bulk materials are then used to understand and manipulate the phase behavior of correlated electrons near epitaxial interfaces, with the ultimate goal of creating new functionalities.
In the area of atomic physics some of the PIs use cold atoms as a model system and as a testing ground for novel approaches to prepare and analyze correlated many-body quantum states. These model systems represent spin quantum systems with complex quantum phase transitions and might also find applications in the processing and storage of quantum information. Due to tailored long-range interactions as they occur, for example in dipolar quantum gases, new states of matter, such as a supersolid or novel nematic quantum phases, are within reach. In this context the field of ultra-cold quantum chemistry provides a vision for how to go in a controlled way from few-body to many-body systems. IQST will provide a forum for interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration on the control of collective quantum many-body phenomena. For instance, a group comprising both atomic and solid-state physicists will study the potential of cold-atom systems with internal degrees of freedom as quantum simulators of spin-orbital model Hamiltonians that have emerged from research on transition metal oxides.
In the context of engineered materials optimal control techniques for many-body systems allow the dynamical control of interacting quantum matter such as supersolids, novel nematic quantum phases and strongly correlated spin systems. Moreover, they provide schemes for the production of entanglement in the presence of experimental imperfections including the effects of realistic noise. Systems of interest range from optical lattices to spin chains. We will explore the ultimate limits imposed by quantum dynamics onto a variety of phenomena including quantum phase transitions and information propagation in extended many-body quantum systems, such as ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices.
Research themes
- Understanding and control of electronic correlations in novel materials
- Strongly interacting quantum many-body systems: Ground state, spectral and dynamical properties
- Dynamic control of interacting quantum matter
- Transport phenomena in optical lattices and the role of noise in the creation of correlations and entanglement
People
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Arendt, Institute for Applied Analysis, Ulm University
Prof. Dr. Hans Peter Büchler, Institut für Theoretische Physik III, Universität Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Tommaso Calarco, Institut für Quanteninformationsverarbeitung, Universität Ulm
Prof. Dr. Johannes Hecker Denschlag, Institut für Quantenmaterie, Universität Ulm
Prof. Dr. Susana Huelga, Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Ulm
Prof. Dr. Ute Kaiser, Transmission Electron Microscopy Group, Ulm University
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Keimer, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Klaus Kern, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research, Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Alejandro Muramatsu, Institut für Theoretische Physik III, Universität Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Tilman Pfau, 5. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Martin B. Plenio, Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Ulm
Prof. Dr. Joris van Slageren, Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Stuttgart
Prof. Dr. Karsten Urban, Institute for Numerical Mathematics, Ulm University
Prof. Dr. Wojciech Zurek, Los Alamos National Laboratory