Atomic, Molecular, Optical Science

AMOS encompasses the research in
atomic, molecular, and optical science
at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

AMOS Research Areas

AMOS is a center for quantum physics with atomic, molecular, and optical systems, at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The center includes 15 research groups and activities ranging across most contemporary topics in AMO physics - from atto-second pulses and intense lasers, through precision spectroscopy of ultracold atoms, molecules or ions, to quantum information and quantum optics. AMOS members hold faculty appointments in both the Physics and Chemistry Faculties at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

A wide range of interests and scientific excellence contribute to making AMOS one of Israel's leading research centers. AMOS scientists publish annually numerous scientific manuscripts in leading journals.

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News

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Seminars

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Publications

  • The Future of Attosecond Science

    Dudovich N., Fang L., Gaarde M., Keller U., Landsman A., Richter M., Rohringer N. & Young L. (2024) .
    Conferences are incredible opportunities to strengthen the inclusive outlook of our scientific community. The participation of female scientists, postdocs, and graduate students in the ATTO VIII conference was remarkable, with more than 40% of female invited speakers. The Local Organizing Committee seized this opportunity to promote an atmosphere that welcomes all. An entirely female evening panel, with experience across the attosecond science spectrum, was convened to explore the Future of Attosecond Science in the evening session of Wednesday, July 13. Furthermore, a booklet entitled Perspectives in Attosecond Science was compiled by Dr. Shima Gholam-Mirzaei of the University of Ottawa and ATTO co-chairs Luca Argenti and Michael Chini, in collaboration with members of the Local Organizing Committee and others, which included interviews with female scientists at all career levels and which was included in the conference materials. The text has been minimally edited to improve clarity and readability.

  • Quantum entangled states of a classically radiating macroscopic spin

    Somech O. & Shahmoon E. (2024) PRX Quantum.
    Entanglement constitutes a main feature that distinguishes quantum from classical physics and is a key resource of quantum technologies. Here we show, however, that entanglement may also serve as the essential ingredient for the emergence of classical behavior in a composite nonlinear radiating system. We consider the radiation from a macroscopic spin emitter, such as the collective radiation from an atomic ensemble. We introduce a new class of macroscopic spin states, the coherently radiating spin states (CRSS), defined as the asymptotic eigenstates of the SU(2) lowering operator. We find that a spin emitter in a CRSS radiates classical-like coherent light, although the CRSS itself is a quantum entangled state exhibiting spin squeezing. We further show that CRSS are naturally produced in Dicke superradiance and underlie the dissipative Dicke phase transition. Our CRSS theory thus provides new concepts for studying the quantum physics of radiation, with applications in current platforms involving collections of atoms or spins, their consideration in quantum technologies such as metrology and lasing, and the many-body theory of spin systems.