Laserphysik und Quantenoptik

This course covers applications of cold neutral atoms for quantum technologies, with the main focus on quantum simulation and quantum computation. Atoms provide many opportunities for the realization of high-fidelity qubits across different energy scales, ranging from the microwave to the optical domain. Laser cooling techniques allow us to efficiently cool the atoms to extremely low temperatures so that atoms can be trapped in optical potentials generated with laser beams. The high degree of control that has been achieved, for instance, led to the development of the world’s best clocks. In this course we will introduce fundamental concepts and experimental techniques needed to prepare, manipulate, and detect cold neutral atoms in optical arrays. We will discuss how interactions between atoms can be engineered to realize few-qubit gates to build a universal quantum computer. Moreover, the interaction between and the dynamics of many particles in optical arrays naturally enable analog quantum simulations of complex many-body systems, ranging from condensed matter to statistical physics and high-energy physics.