In 2012, the European Research Council (ERC) introduced the Synergy grants, whose funding enables a team of up to four principal investigators to collaborate on an innovative theme for a period of six years. The UQUAM project, proposed by Immanuel Bloch (Max Planck, Munich), Jean Dalibard (LKB and Collège de France, Paris), Ehud Altman (Weizmann) and Peter Zoller (Innsbruck), is one of the eleven winners.
The UQUAM (ultra-cold quantum matter) project aims to use ultra-cold atomic gases to produce and understand new phases of matter, in which quantum correlations and topology play an essential role. This research also aims to analyze the dynamic evolution of complex quantum systems, particularly in the presence of dissipation. The potential spin-offs are numerous, from helping to design and understand new materials to developing new methods for quantum information processing.
The UQUAM team consists of two experimentalists (IB & JD) and two theorists (EA and PZ), who will work collectively on topics ranging from quantum optics to Quantum Condensed Matter Physics. In particular, the project involves the construction of a joint experimental set-up, to be designed and built in partnership between Munich and Paris. This setup will combine the most advanced atom manipulation techniques (imaging of individual atoms, long-range particle interactions, controlled coupling with a "reservoir") to access as yet unexplored regimes of this new quantum matter.
