Colloquium: Dr. Kathy Levin, University of Chicago

Abstract: This talk will introduce the world of cold atom experiments. This world is engaged in many of the same pursuits as more conventional laboratories which focus on problems in cosmology, chemistry, and condensed matter. There are 2 particularly strong advantages which ultracold gases possess: firstly, at the low temperatures involved, the dynamical evolution is slow enough to be followed in real time. This provides otherwise inaccessible information about very fine details of non-equilibrium physics in a closed system. Secondly one can tune the inter-particle interactions making it possible to have the strongest possible (‘‘resonant") interaction strength. For Fermi systems this provides a prototype for a realizable high Tc superconductors/superfluids. For Bose systems a new form of "superchemistry" can emerge. In this talk we highlight what we can learn from these cold atom studies and how they complement the understanding gleaned from more conventional experiments.