Ultracold atoms can be trapped in an optical lattice, the periodic potential formed by optical standing waves. The atoms in the optical lattice exhibit behavior similar to electrons in an ideal crystal. By including the interaction of the atoms, such a system can be used to study many-body phenomena traditionally in the realm of solid-state physics. This project will investigate the emergence of many-body behaviour of particles as various parameters such as interaction strength and disorder as varied in this model system.
Supervisor: Prof. Kris Helmerson
See https://www.monash.edu/science/schools/physics/honours/honours-project to apply.