Catalog

Atomic and Optical Physics II

Physics MIT CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 28 lectures

This is the second of a two-semester subject sequence beginning with Atomic and Optical Physics I (8.421) that provides the foundations for contemporary research in selected areas of atomic and optical physics. Topics covered include non-classical states of light–squeezed states; multi-photon processes, Raman scattering; coherence–level crossings, quantum beats, double resonance, superradiance; trapping and cooling-light forces, laser cooling, atom optics, spectroscopy of trapped atoms and ions; atomic interactions–classical collisions, quantum scattering theory, ultracold collisions; and experimental methods.

Syllabus

  1. 1 Lecture 1: Introduction to Atomic Physics
  2. 2 Lecture 2: QED Hamiltonian
  3. 3 Lecture 3: Quantum description of light, Part 1
  4. 4 Lecture 3: Quantum description of light, Part 2
  5. 5 Lecture 4: Non-classical light, squeezing, Part 1
  6. 6 Lecture 4: Non-classical light, squeezing, Part 2
  7. 7 Lecture 5: Single photons, Part 1
  8. 8 Lecture 5: Single photons, Part 2
  9. 9 Lecture 6: Entangled states
  10. 10 Lecture 7: Metrology, shot noise and Heisenberg limit, Part 1
  11. 11 Lecture 7: Metrology, shot noise and Heisenberg limit, Part 2
  12. 12 Lecture 8: g(2) for atoms and light
  13. 13 Lecture 9: Diagrams for light-atom interactions
  14. 14 Lecture 10: van der Waals and Casimir interactions
  15. 15 Lecture 11: Casimir force
  16. 16 Lecture 12: Resonant interactions
  17. 17 Lecture 13: Derivation of optical Bloch equations
  18. 18 Lecture 14: Solutions of optical Bloch equations, Part 1
  19. 19 Lecture 14: Solutions of optical Bloch equations, Part 2
  20. 20 Lecture 15: Unraveling Open System Quantum Dynamics
  21. 21 Lecture 16: Light forces, Part 1
  22. 22 Lecture 16: Light forces, Part 2
  23. 23 Lecture 17: Dressed atom, Part 1
  24. 24 Lecture 17: Dressed atom, Part 2
  25. 25 Lecture 18: Techniques for ultralow temperatures
  26. 26 Lecture19: Bose gases
  27. 27 Lecture 20: Fermi gases, BEC-BCS crossover
  28. 28 Lecture 21: Ion trapping and quantum gates

Course materials