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

Measuring Hall voltage and resistance for interacting fermions

The Hall effect is a cornerstone of modern science, spanning applications from cutting-edge technologies to the discovery of exotic topological phases of matter. In solid-state systems, it manifests as a voltage perpendicular to current flow in a magnetic field, giving rise to transverse Hall resistance. Yet, its behavior in quantum systems remains elusive. Using neutral-atom quantum simulators, we introduce the first direct measurement of Hall voltage and resistance in a non-electron-based system. This work links quantum simulations to real-world experiments, unlocking new avenues to explore the Hall effect in tunable, strongly correlated systems.

T.-W. Zhou et al.
Measuring Hall voltage and Hall resistance in an atom-based quantum simulator
arXiv:2411.09744 (2024)

Niccolò has been awarded the Sara Lapi prize 2024

Since 2015, the Friends of Sara Lapi Association has established a Degree Award named after Sara in collaboration with the University of Florence and in particular with the "Ugo Schiff" Department of Chemistry at the Scientific Center of Sesto Fiorentino. This year's award goes to Niccolò Preti for his thesis "Towards dipolar quantum gases in a ring". Well done!

more info

Our review on atomic quantum mixtures just published in Nature Reviews Physics

After decades of improvements in cooling techniques of several atomic species and in finding methods to achieve stable quantum mixtures, the field is now ready for an extensive use of such versatile platforms to investigate various physical problems. Relevant examples are the dynamics of impurities in a quantum gas, the miscibility condition of different gases, the study of exotic topological structures, the interplay between magnetism and superfluidity, the formation of artificial molecules or new few-body states. In this review we illustrate the differences among possible quantum mixtures — whether homonuclear spin mixtures or heteronuclear ones — and show how they can be exploited to investigate a plethora of topics from the few-body to the many-body regime. In particular, we discuss quantum mixtures of ultracold gases under three different perspectives: systems made of a few atoms of different kinds, single impurities within a host gas and quantum mixtures of two interacting gases.

C. Baroni et al.
Quantum mixtures of ultracold gases of neutral atoms
Nat. Rev. Phys. (2024)

EIC project AQLAS has started

In this ambitious EIC Transition project we aim at developing the laser of our dreams: narrow and stable everytime you push the ON button. The project is a joint effort between the Ba+/Li group and the companies SILENTSYS, IDIL and A8. They will help us turn our ideas into a real product. We are looking for motivated people to join us, contact us for open positions!

Florence-Innsbruck meeting

On October 30th-31st, we held the second Florence-Innsbruck joint meeting at the INO-CNR headquarters in Arcetri with the research groups on Ultracold Atoms from IQOQI and the University of Innsbruck. It was a great opportunity for the young researchers to discuss recent scientific advancements in a friendly atmosphere, surrounded by the beautiful setting of Arcetri. Many thanks to Giulia, Francesca, and Giacomo for the organization! See you in Innsbruck next year!