Project description
Uncovering the mechanisms behind unconventional superfluidity
Superfluids, which have zero viscosity and can therefore flow without any loss of kinetic energy, are some of the most surprising collective quantum phases of matter. Ultracold quantum gases offer a viable experimental approach to studying these phases, offering microscopic access to their exotic properties. The EU-funded SuperComp project will focus on quantum gases with competing interactions to observe unconventional superfluid phases that have not yet been experimentally realised. To this end, the project will investigate three distinct mechanisms resulting in unconventional superfluid behaviour: quantum fluctuations, engineered dispersion relations and interactions with non-zero orbital angular momentum. The project's experiments are expected to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for unconventional superfluidity.
Objective
Unconventional superfluids, where frictionless flow appears combined with features such as topological excitations or crystalline order, are some of the most surprising collective quantum phases of matter. Although the corresponding topological superfluids and supersolids were originally predicted in condensed matter, ultracold quantum gases provide a more controlled experimental approach to these phases, and promise microscopic access to their exotic properties. A key mechanism towards unconventional superfluidity is the competition in the same system of interactions of different origins, a situation naturally addressed by multicomponent gases. When these interactions have opposite signs, new and surprising phases emerge. A prime example is the ultradilute quantum liquid phase recently observed by my group in a mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates, which is most likely only the first item in a long list of new unconventional phases.
The goal of SuperComp is to exploit the full potential of quantum gases with competing interactions to unlock the observation of unconventional superfluid phases that have until now defied experimental realization. To this end, I will explore three distinct mechanisms resulting in unconventional superfluid behavior: quantum fluctuations, engineered dispersion relations, and interactions with non-zero orbital angular momentum. Exploiting combinations of bosonic and fermionic potassium atoms, I will realize novel types of ultradilute quantum liquids, supersolid-like gases and liquids, density-dependent artificial gauge fields, elastic multi-body interactions, and investigate a new approach towards the long-sought px+ipy topological superfluid phase of 2D Fermi gases. These experiments will deepen our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for unconventional superfluidity, and impact not only the field of quantum gases, but also the much broader range of disciplines where unconventional superfluids or superconductors play a key role.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistryalkali metals
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesquantum physicsquantum field theory
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssuperconductivity
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Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantHost institution
08860 Castelldefels
Spain