Taming, slowing and trapping atoms with light
Cold is quantum, Quantum is cool!
We shape quantum matter
Multicolored lasers for a variety of atoms
Keeping our eyes on the quantum world
Join our ultracool group!
High technology for great science

Welcome to the website of the Ultracold Quantum Gases group at the European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy (LENS), the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Florence (Italy) and the Institute of Optics of the Italian National Research Council (CNR - INO). In our labs we use lasers and magnetic fields to produce the lowest temperatures of the Universe, just a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero...

At these temperatures, atoms stop moving and we can control them for a variety of different fundamental studies and applications. We can force atoms to arrange according to a periodic structure and simulate the behavior of crystalline solids and new materials. We can use the atoms as ultra-high accurate sensors to probe forces with the power of quantum mechanics. We can study how quantum particles combine together under the action of strong interactions and how superfluidity develops. We can use these ultracold atoms to process information and develop new quantum technologies.

Dress warmly and... follow us for this ultracold journey!

LAST NEWS

Measurement campaign for our patented laser

Thanks to bando Trapezio we were able to test new technical advancements on our patented laser design in collaboration with Silentsys. We could reach narrow linewidths (<<1kHz) with minimal effort. More upgrades are yet to come, so stay tuned!

Universal Hall Response in Strongly Interacting Fermions

The Hall effect, which originates from the motion of charged particles in magnetic fields, has deep consequences for the description of materials, extending far beyond condensed matter. Understanding such an effect in interacting systems represents a fundamental challenge, even for small magnetic fields. In this work, we used an atomic quantum simulator in which we tracked the motion of ultracold fermions in two-leg ribbons threaded by artificial magnetic fields. Through controllable quench dynamics, we measured the Hall response for a range of synthetic tunneling and atomic interaction strengths. We unveil a universal interaction-independent behavior above an interaction threshold, in agreement with theoretical analyses. The ability to reach hard-to-compute regimes demonstrates the power of quantum simulation to describe strongly correlated topological states of matter.

T.-W. Zhou et al.
Observation of universal Hall response in strongly interacting Fermions
Science 381, 427 (2023)

High-resolution Imaging of a bosonic quantum mixture

We have completed the design and testing of a custom high-resolution objective with a long working distance. The microscope consists of a commercial aspheric lens plus a meniscus lens and has a diffraction-limited resolution of 1.2 micron at 766 nm. We have performed some preliminary tests by recording the in-situ density distribution of a strongly attractive 41K-87Rb mixture. The measured size of the cloud is in agreement with the simulated density profiles in this interaction regime. We are going to detect our quantum mixture through its phase diagram with micrometric resolution!

Innsbruck-Firenze Meeting

On 17th-19th April we were in Innsbruck for a joint meeting with the research groups on Ultracold Atoms at IQOQI and University of Innsbruck. Great to be there discussing ultracold physics with old friends of ours and so many young researchers!

Many thanks for the perfect organization and warm hospitality in Innsbruck. See you in Florence next year!

Blue laser for Strontium cooling and imaging

We have completed the optical setup for a 461 nm laser source that will be employed for slowing down, capturing in a 3D MOT and imaging Strontium atoms in the FloRydberg platform.

Blue MOT, we will be there soon!