Integrated Calendar

Reconfigurable arrays of neutral atoms are an exciting new platform to study quantum many-body phenomena and quantum information protocols. Their excellent coherence combined with programmable Rydberg interactions have led to intriguing observations such as quantum phase transitions, the discovery of quantum many-body scars, and the recent realization of a topological spin liquid phase. Here, I will introduce new methods for controlling and measuring atom arrays that open up new directions in quantum state control, quantum feedback, and many-body physics. First, I will introduce a dual species atomic array in which the second atomic species can be used to measure and control the primary species. This will lead to the possibility of performing quantum nondemolition measurements and new ways of engineering large, entangled states on these arrays. Furthermore, prospects of studying open systems with engineered environments will be discussed. An alternative, hybrid approach for engineering interactions and scaling these quantum systems is the coupling of atoms to nanophotonic structures in which photons mediate interactions between atoms. Such a system can function as the building block of a large-scale quantum network. In this context, I will present quantum network node architectures that are capable of long-distance entanglement distribution at telecom wavelengths.

In an attempt to provide further insight into one of the major questions of physics beyond the standard model, highly sensitive optomechanical sensors are developed utilizing techniques from the field of atomic physics. These sensors are table-top experimental tools offering exquisite control of mechanical, rotational and electrical degrees of freedom of optically levitated ~fg-ng masses in vacuum, enabling unprecedented acceleration and force sensitivities.

I will present two recent searches, the first looking for recoils from passing DM particles and the second for deviations from charge neutrality and so-called "millicharged particles". For certain, well-motivated dark matter models, these searches exceed the sensitivity of even large-scale experiments, thereby offering a complementary approach. I will also discuss possible techniques enabling sensor sensitivity to dark matter in the low-mass regime, where large, existing detectors lack in sensitivity.

Single layers of transition metal dichalcogenides are semiconducting 2D materials which present unique electronic, excitonic and spin properties. Heterostructures composed of these materials show highly intriguing excited-state phenomena, along with a large degree of atomistic and structural tunability stemming from the underlying quantum selection rules dominating these phenomena. A predictive understanding of the effect of structural complexity on the nature of excited-state properties and interaction dynamics is crucial in order to design efficient devices for various applications, within the fields of photovoltaics, photocatalytics, optoelectronics, spintronics, and material-based quantum computing. In this research, we propose a study of the electronic and excitonic properties in heterostructures based on layered transition metal dichalcogenides and the role of structural complexities in their time-resolved relaxation mechanisms. For this, we will analyze decay processes induced by excitonic interactions with lattice vibrations, as well as other excitons and charged particles in the crystals. We will utilize predictive, Green’s-function based ab-initio methods implemented through advanced software and apply highly advanced computations using high-performance computing clusters worldwide. We will develop computational models based on these predictive approaches and on our findings to study the underlying mechanisms dominating the involved excitation processes and the light-matter interactions leading to them. Our research will be constantly driven and validated by collaborations with relevant experimental research.

Ice sheets can dramatically impact the state of climate. This is due to their capacity to modify the planetary energy balance through variations in the ice cover and mass. A major question is how rapidly could such modification occur and to what extent ? This question can be addressed by investigating phenomena that involve relatively large mass flux of ice into the ocean, such as ice calving and rifting, ice streams, and melting. Many of these processes involve interactions between the ice sheet and the underlying bedrock or ocean. We model ice sheets as buoyancy-driven flows of nonlinear (non Newtonian) fluid and explore the resulted flow dynamics and stability due to different friction conditions along the base of the ice. I will show results from scaled laboratory experiments and theoretical modelling of several flows under different friction conditions that evolve patterns reminiscent to those that emerge in glacier ice flows. Specifically, the basal friction that we consider ranges from no-slip conditions, in which radially symmetric flows are stable, to free-slip conditions, in which such flows are unstable, developing patterns reminiscent to ice rifts and ice bergs. Under mixed conditions of friction, an initially radially symmetric flow can be either stable, or develop patterns reminiscent to ice streams. Our insights may have implications to predicting ice flow on Earth and possibly on other planetary objects.