Christof Weitenberg joined the Department of Physics as Teacher for Ultracold Quantum Gases in 2024. His research study group analyzes how atoms act when they are brought down to extremely low temperature levels– near to outright no– by methods of unique laser and evaporative cooling. These ultracold atoms allow the scientists to get insights into the behavior of quantum matter. In addition to the routine ERC Advanced Grant of EUR2.5 million over five years, Weitenberg is receiving a more EUR1 million to finance brand-new major equipment.
“Our objective is to replicate unique states of matter in the laboratory that otherwise only occur in intricate solids,” explains Professor Weitenberg. “To do this, we trap ultracold atoms in so-called ‘optical lattices’ formed by laser light, where they behave analogous to electrons in a strong.” The job “InToCold” is now focusing on topological quantum states. To produce these exotic states, the team must move the ultracold atoms to energetically higher bands in the lattice websites and engineer strong interactions in between surrounding atoms. To examine the resulting quantum states, the scientists will then utilize an unique kind of microscopic lense that permits an efficient resolution of just a couple of nanometers.
“We hope these experiments will give us new insights into the exotic behavior of topological quantum matter, which could be of importance for topological quantum computers in the future,” says Weitenberg.
About Teacher Christof Weitenberg
Teacher Christof Weitenberg studied physics and musical structure in Saarbrücken. He made his doctoral degree at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) in 2011 before signing up with the École Normale Supérieure in Paris as a postdoctoral fellow. In 2013, he moved to the University of Hamburg as group leader and got an ERC Starting Grant in 2018 to examine unique particles called anyons. He has been a teacher at TU Dortmund University given that 2024, where he heads a research group on ultracold quantum gases.
To the ERC announcement
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