Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/11/2011
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Title: Cold Trapped Atoms: Why are they so hot?

Speaker: Dr. Eugene Zaremba – Queen’s University

Institute: Queen’s University, Physics Department

Location: ABB 102

Description:

The achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) in a trapped atomic gas in 1995 was an experimental milestone for which Eric Cornell, Carl Wieman and Wolfgang Ketterle received the Nobel Prize in 2001. This discovery initiated a flurry of experimental and theoretical activity that continues to this day. The early years were characterized by a systematic study of the properties of this new class of BECs. The field subsequently moved in various directions and has evolved into a valuable laboratory for the study of fundamental problems in condensed matter physics. In this talk I will provide an overview of cold atom physics and will highlight some of the directions of recent research which have made the field so â??hotâ??.