Geometric Squeezing of a Degenerate Fermi Gas

Quantum simulation with ultracold gases provides a highly customizable platform for the study of many-body physics, shedding new light on important physical systems. Magnetic fields or, equivalently in the case of a uniform, static field, rotation are especially important parameters for many-body sy...

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Main Author: Wilson, Cedric Chinua
Other Authors: Zwierlein, Martin W.
Format: Thesis
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2023
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/150685
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author Wilson, Cedric Chinua
author2 Zwierlein, Martin W.
author_facet Zwierlein, Martin W.
Wilson, Cedric Chinua
author_sort Wilson, Cedric Chinua
collection MIT
description Quantum simulation with ultracold gases provides a highly customizable platform for the study of many-body physics, shedding new light on important physical systems. Magnetic fields or, equivalently in the case of a uniform, static field, rotation are especially important parameters for many-body systems including nuclear matter, neutron stars, superfluid helium, and clean conductive samples exhibiting the quantum Hall effect. This thesis details the construction of a new experiment to study rapidly-rotating quantum gases, and two experimental results from the new apparatus. The procedure of geometric squeezing utilizes a rotating, elliptical harmonic trap to realize the squeezing Hamiltonian for guiding center motion. We first outline the observation of a geometrically squeezed state of a rapidly-rotating Bose-Einstein condensate entering the lowest Landau level. We also measure its Hall response, analogous to the 𝐸 × 𝐵 drift of charged particles in crossed electric and magnetic fields. We then detail the realization of a geometrically squeezed state of a rapidly rotating, non-interacting atomic Fermi gas and the measurement of its Hall drift velocity. The Fermi gas shrinks down in one direction to a size limited by the width of the highest occupied Landau level. In the orthogonal direction it expands exponentially, at a local speed given by the local Hall drift velocity. We examine the physics away from the rapidly rotating regime and find that it is well described by the phase space evolution of the Fermi surface under the influence of Coriolis and centrifugal forces, in direct analogy to the cranking model for rotating nuclei.
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spelling mit-1721.1/1506852023-05-16T03:09:07Z Geometric Squeezing of a Degenerate Fermi Gas Wilson, Cedric Chinua Zwierlein, Martin W. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics Quantum simulation with ultracold gases provides a highly customizable platform for the study of many-body physics, shedding new light on important physical systems. Magnetic fields or, equivalently in the case of a uniform, static field, rotation are especially important parameters for many-body systems including nuclear matter, neutron stars, superfluid helium, and clean conductive samples exhibiting the quantum Hall effect. This thesis details the construction of a new experiment to study rapidly-rotating quantum gases, and two experimental results from the new apparatus. The procedure of geometric squeezing utilizes a rotating, elliptical harmonic trap to realize the squeezing Hamiltonian for guiding center motion. We first outline the observation of a geometrically squeezed state of a rapidly-rotating Bose-Einstein condensate entering the lowest Landau level. We also measure its Hall response, analogous to the 𝐸 × 𝐵 drift of charged particles in crossed electric and magnetic fields. We then detail the realization of a geometrically squeezed state of a rapidly rotating, non-interacting atomic Fermi gas and the measurement of its Hall drift velocity. The Fermi gas shrinks down in one direction to a size limited by the width of the highest occupied Landau level. In the orthogonal direction it expands exponentially, at a local speed given by the local Hall drift velocity. We examine the physics away from the rapidly rotating regime and find that it is well described by the phase space evolution of the Fermi surface under the influence of Coriolis and centrifugal forces, in direct analogy to the cranking model for rotating nuclei. Ph.D. 2023-05-15T19:32:18Z 2023-05-15T19:32:18Z 2023-02 2023-05-10T20:00:04.609Z Thesis https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/150685 0000-0001-6586-7666 In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted Copyright MIT http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/ application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Wilson, Cedric Chinua
Geometric Squeezing of a Degenerate Fermi Gas
title Geometric Squeezing of a Degenerate Fermi Gas
title_full Geometric Squeezing of a Degenerate Fermi Gas
title_fullStr Geometric Squeezing of a Degenerate Fermi Gas
title_full_unstemmed Geometric Squeezing of a Degenerate Fermi Gas
title_short Geometric Squeezing of a Degenerate Fermi Gas
title_sort geometric squeezing of a degenerate fermi gas
url https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/150685
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