Oct 31, 2012 Wednesday 15:30
Özgür Müstecaplıoğlu, Koç University
Synthetic Gauge Fields in Ultracold Atomic Systems for Topological Quantum Computation

Abstract:This talk introduces the basics of how to design optically induced effective electric and magnetic fields with neutral ultracold atoms to simulate various electromagnetic phenomena of charged particles. It starts with a quick review of semiclassical quantum optics, two and three level atom models, dressed and dark states. Adiabatic theorem, Born-Oppenheimer approximation, and Berry phase concepts are shortly discussed. Following these fundamental developments, the talk continues with description of the general scheme of designing and implementing effective artificial scalar and vector potentials in typical ultracold atomic set ups. Effective magnetic monopoles and spin-orbit coupling are discussed as some concrete examples of the method. The talk concludes with the outlook and overview of recent relevant developments in topological insulators, non-abelian anyons and topological quantum computation from the perspective of ultracold atoms.