School of Physics Thesis Dissertation Defense

Presenter:        Maryrose Barrios

Title:                  Density-Induced Spin-Nematic Squeezing in a Spin-1 Bose-Einstein Condensate

Date:                 Thursday, March 28, 2024

Time:                 2:00 p.m.

Location:          Howey N110

Committee members: 

Dr. Mike Chapman, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology (advisor)

Dr. Itamar Kimchi, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Martin Mourigal, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Colin Parker, School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology

Dr. Creston Herold, Georgia Tech Research Institute

Abstract:

Density or pressure modulation of materials is an important method for tuning and engineering interactions within materials studied in condensed matter systems. This tuning is often used to alter or modify the underlying properties of the material, leading to the crossing of a phase transition or enhanced chemical or mechanical properties. This thesis investigates the possibility of whether a similar approach might be employed in the study of ultracold atoms present within a spinor condensate. In our system we use the confining trap potential to modulate and increase the density of the system in such a way as to push the cloud of atoms from non-interacting to interacting, and across a quantum critical point. By crossing over into this new phase, we are able to perform a constant magnetic field quench to observe both spin mixing and spin-nematic squeezing. This allows us to achieve -8.4 +/- 0.8 dB of squeezing and shows promise for future density-driven interactions