Spring 2018

Over the last several years, research in the field of cavity optomechanics has developed extraordinarily sensitive and low loss devices as well as clever measurement techniques to probe macroscopic mechanical systems in the quantum regime.  If one observes carefully, the noise in optically detected mechanical resonators can reveal a remarkable tale of the fundamental quantum mechanics of measurement embodied by Heisenberg’s microscope type physics.  In this talk, I will review the basic consequences of quantum measurement backaction in the context of recent cavity optomechanics experiments...

The realization of large-scale controlled quantum systems is an exciting frontier in modern physical science. In this talk, I will introduce a new approach based on cold atoms in arrays of optical tweezers. We use atom-by-atom assembly to deterministically prepare arrays of individually controlled cold atoms. A measurement and feedback procedure eliminates the entropy associated with the probabilistic trap loading and results in defect-free arrays of over 60 atoms [1]. Strong, coherent interactions are enabled by coupling to atomic Rydberg states. We realize a programmable Ising-type...

Quantum optics has had a profound impact on precision measurements, and recently enabled probing various physical quantities, such as magnetic fields and temperature, with nanoscale spatial resolution. Such advancements in ‘quantum sensing’ have brought the elusive dream of performing nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) on individual biomolecules closer to reality. In my talk, I will discuss the development and application of novel quantum metrological technologies to study biological systems at a single-molecule level. I will start with a general introduction...

Quantum optics has had a profound impact on precision measurements, and recently enabled probing various physical quantities, such as magnetic fields and temperature, with nanoscale spatial resolution. Such advancements in ‘quantum sensing’ have brought the elusive dream of performing nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) on individual biomolecules closer to reality. In my talk, I will discuss the development and application of novel quantum metrological technologies to study biological systems at a single-molecule level. I will start with a general introduction...

The basic laws of evolution have been known for more than a century and there is overwhelming evidence for the facts of evolution. Yet little is understood quantitatively about the dynamical  processes that drive evolution: by physicists' standards the theory of evolution is far from fully-fledged. Huge advances in DNA sequencing technology and laboratory experiments have enabled direct observations of evolution in action and, together with theoretical developments, opened up great opportunities for dramatically advancing our understanding. This talk will focus on framing...