Strongly Correlated Quantum Gases of Atoms and Dipolar Molecules
Abstract
In this work we established a Fermi gas of ultracold dipolar molecules of NaK as a novel platform for the discovery of novel quantum phases of matter with designed properties. With this novel species of dipolar quantum gases, we may hope to create high-temperature superfluids and quantum magnets. To this end, we harvested novel long-range and anisotropic interactions between molecules, mediated by the dipolar interaction, and by laser light between atoms. This could ultimately lead to the discovery of topological superfluids that might enable topologically protected quantum computation. Our experiments employed quantum mixtures of bosonic 23Na and fermionic 40K and 6Li atoms. The observation of a high-temperature fermionic superfluid and its topological excitations, the achievement of spin-orbit coupling in a Fermi gas and the formation of fermionic molecules by the PI had previously demonstrated that these quantum mixtures are ideal for the discovery of novel many-body systems of strongly correlated fermions. With mixtures of bosons and fermions, we may realize novel forms of superfluidity mediated by the surrounding bath. Out of bosonic 23Na and fermionic 40K atoms we formed the first chemically stable degenerate Fermi gas of ground-state molecules. Thanks to their large electric dipole moment, novel forms of topological p-wave superfluidity as well as high-speed quantum simulation of magnetism are within reach. This research, proposed in 2013, led to the first realization of chemically stable, fermionic, ground state dipolar molecules in 2015. The properties of this new molecule were were beyond what we could have hoped for at the time of writing the proposal. We were able to demonstrate second-scale coherence times for the nuclear spins, and managed to demonstrate strong dipolar interactions via microwave-dressing. This technique is now used by other competing groups working on NaK to produce a hydrodynamic gas of dipolar molecules.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 03, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1221995
Entities
People
- Martin W. Zwierlein
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology