Optical atomic clocks are the most precise devices ever constructed by humankind. In my research group at the University of Wisconsin – Madison we are building a new kind of optical atomic clock dedicated to harnessing this precision to shed light on some of the great remaining mysteries in our understanding of the universe. Our … Continued
My current research is mainly driven by three open questions: How do the thermal and quantum fluctuations of broken-symmetry phases alter the properties of metals? What is the fate of an electronic system when all the energy scales, such as bandgap, chemical potential and magnetic field, become comparable? How does a phase transition manifest itself … Continued
I propose to prepare and measure chemically relevant molecules in single quantum states for the first time. The ability to nondestructively measure the state of an individual molecule will provide an unambiguous single molecule chemical analyzer, and is a crucial prerequisite for meaningful quantum information processing with trapped polyatomic molecules. The system will further provide … Continued
Conventional wisdom holds that phases of matter require thermodynamic equilibrium to remain stable. When equilibration fails, so too does much of our understanding. The overarching goal of this Packard proposal is to theoretically predict, numerically optimize, and experimentally discover novel forms of quantum matter that fall outside our usual equilibrium paradigm. In particular, I will … Continued
The Moler lab builds and operates tools for measuring magnetic fields on small length scales. We use these tools to study superconductivity and mesoscopic quantum mechanical effects at low temperatures.
Turbulence is among the most mysterious phenomena in nature, with extensive ramifications in biology, mathematics, and physics. Despite intense efforts, many aspects of turbulence remain poorly understood. For instance, we do not understand the microscopic mechanism driving the transfer of energy in turbulent cascades. Moreover, the theoretical description of classical turbulence breaks down at small … Continued
Technology based on the use of light – its generation, harvesting and manipulation – has transformed modern life. For example, we use lasers for surgery and manufacturing, solar panels to sustainably produce electricity, and fiber optics to send internet signals around the world. As both the demand for and complexity of photonic devices grow, there … Continued
Our group is developing chip-scale systems and devices that process electromagnetic, optical, and mechanical fields in qualitatively new ways. Silicon chips form the material basis of our current information technologies and comprise the vast majority of electronic circuits. However, electronic signals in transistors are hardly the only physical degrees of freedom available to us. Such … Continued
Our research group explores new physical phenomena in atomically thin materials and their heterostructures. We study a wide range of materials with very different properties, including semiconductors, superconductors and magnets etc. We stack them together to form heteostructures, and make electronics, optoelectronics and optomechanical devices. To explore new phenomena, we also develop new measurement and … Continued
Our lab studies atomic and molecular gases cooled to a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero. At these temperatures, the gases enter a regime of quantum degeneracy and are useful for highly controlled studies of quantum many-body phenomena. By trapping the particles in tailored optical potentials, our group is able to engineer synthetic … Continued