Strongly correlated quantum fluids are phases of matter that are intrinsically quantum mechanical and that do not have a simple description in terms of weakly interacting quasiparticles. Two systems that have recently attracted a great deal of interest are the quark-gluon plasma, a plasma of strongly interacting quarks and gluons produced in relativistic heavy ion collisions, and ultracold atomic Fermi gases, very dilute clouds of atomic gases confined in optical or magnetic traps. These systems differ by 19 orders of magnitude in temperature, but were shown to exhibit very similar hydrodynamic flows. In particular, both fluids exhibit a robustly low shear viscosity to entropy density ratio, which is characteristic of quantum fluids described by holographic duality, a mapping from strongly correlated quantum field theories to weakly curved higher dimensional classical gravity. This review explores the connection

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Strongly correlated quantum fluids: ultracold quantum gases, quantum chromodynamic plasmas and holographic duality

Few-body physics has played a prominent role in atomic, molecular and nuclear physics since the early days of quantum mechanics. It is now possible—thanks to tremendous progress in cooling, trapping and manipulating ultracold samples—to experimentally study few-body phenomena in trapped atomic and molecular systems with unprecedented control. This review summarizes recent studies of few-body phenomena in trapped atomic and molecular gases, with an emphasis on small trapped systems. We start by introducing the free-space scattering properties and then investigate what happens when two particles, bosons or fermions, are placed in an external confinement. Next, various three-body systems are treated analytically in limiting cases. Our current understanding of larger two-component Fermi systems and Bose systems is reviewed, and connections with the corresponding bulk systems are established. Lastly, future prospects and challenges are discussed. Throughout this review, commonalities with other systems such as nuclei or quantum dots are highlighted.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0034-4885/75/4/046401/pdf

Few-body physics with ultracold atomic and molecular systems in traps

The control of internal and motional quantum degrees of freedom of laser-cooled trapped ions has been subject to intense theoretical and experimental research for about three decades. In the realm of quantum information science, the ability to deterministically prepare and measure quantum states of trapped ions is unprecedented. This expertise may be employed to investigate physical models conceived to describe systems that are not directly accessible for experimental investigations. Here, we give an overview of current theoretical proposals and experiments for such quantum simulations with trapped ions. This includes various spin models (e.g. the quantum transverse Ising model or a neural network), the Bose?Hubbard Hamiltonian, the Frenkel?Kontorova model, and quantum fields and relativistic effects.

http://www.physik.uni-siegen.de/quantenoptik/forschung/publikationen/publis/jphysb_qsim.pdf

Quantum simulations with cold trapped ions

We present an overview of recent developments in species-imbalanced ('polarized') Feshbach-resonant Fermi gases. We summarize the current status of thermodynamics of these systems in terms of a phase diagram as a function of the Feshbach resonance detuning, polarization and temperature. We review instabilities of the s-wave superfluidity across the Bose–Einstein condensation-to-Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer crossover to phase separation, Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov states, polarized molecular superfluidity and the normal state, driven by the species imbalance. We discuss different models and approximations of this system and compare their predictions with current experiments.

Imbalanced Feshbach-resonant Fermi gases

That excitons in solids might condense into a phase-coherent ground state was proposed about 40 years ago, and has been attracting experimental and theoretical attention ever since Although experimental confirmation has been hard to come by, the concepts released by this phenomenon have been widely influential This tutorial review discusses general aspects of the theory of exciton and polariton condensates, focusing on the reasons for coherence in the ground state wavefunction, the BCS to Bose crossover(s) for excitons and for polaritons, and the relationship of the coherent condensates to standard lasers

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0953-8984/16/35/003/pdf

Models of coherent exciton condensation

We consider the superfluid phase transition that arises when a Feshbach resonance pairing occurs in a dilute Fermi gas. This is related to the phenomenon of superconductivity described by the seminal Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer theory. In superconductivity, the phase transition is caused by a coupling between pairs of electrons within the medium. This coupling is perturbative and leads to a critical temperature T c which is small compared to the Fermi temperature T F . Even high-T c superconductors typically have a critical temperature which is two orders of magnitude below T F . Here we describe a resonance pairing mechanism in a quantum degenerate gas of potassium ( 4 0 K) atoms which leads to superfluidity in a novel regime - a regime that promises the unique opportunity to experimentally study the cross-over from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer phase of weakly-coupled fermions to the Bose-Einstein condensate of strongly-bound composite bosons. We find that the transition to a superfluid phase is possible at the high critical temperature of about 0.5T F . It should be straightforward to verify this prediction, since these temperatures can already be achieved experimentally.

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Resonance Superfluidity in a Quantum Degenerate Fermi Gas

Abstract. We provide an extensive overview of a wide range of quantum games and interactive tools that have been employed by the quantum community in recent years. We present selected tools as described by their developers, including “Hello Quantum, Hello Qiskit, Particle in a Box, Psi and Delta, QPlayLearn, Virtual Lab by Quantum Flytrap, Quantum Odyssey, ScienceAtHome, and the Virtual Quantum Optics Laboratory.” In addition, we present events for quantum game development: hackathons, game jams, and semester projects. Furthermore, we discuss the Quantum Technologies Education for Everyone (QUTE4E) pilot project, which illustrates an effective integration of these interactive tools with quantum outreach and education activities. Finally, we aim at providing guidelines for incorporating quantum games and interactive tools in pedagogic materials to make quantum technologies more accessible for a wider population.

https://www.spiedigitallibrary.org/journals/optical-engineering/volume-61/issue-8/081809/Quantum-games-and-interactive-tools-for-quantum-technologies-outreach-and/10.1117/1.OE.61.8.081809.pdf

Quantum games and interactive tools for quantum technologies outreach and education

The GIREP community on teaching and learning quantum physics and the Education section of the Quantum flagship project of the European Union (QTEdu) have brought together different stakeholders in the field of teaching quantum physics on all levels, including outreach. The goal of QTEdu is to pave the way for the training of the future quantum workforce. To this end, it is necessary to understand the needs of the quantum technology (QT) field, make the general public aware of the existence and importance of QT, and introduce quantum physics already in high school, so that high school students can choose QT as their field of study and career. Finally, new university courses need to be established to support emerging specific profiles such as a quantum engineer. In this symposium, four QTEdu pilot projects were brought together to demonstrate how their complementary approaches have worked towards realising the above goals.

Contributions from Pilot Projects in Quantum Technology Education as Support Action to Quantum Flagship

AbstractThe Physics of Everyday Life (PEL) teaching environment is illustrated, developed since 2007 at the University of Pisa in physics courses for life-sciences and for physicists considering a future career in school teaching. Sourcing inspiration from How things work by Lou Bloomfield, PEL aims at explicitly restoring the functional process of scientific thinking, with observation and creation of hypotheses preceding their formalization for subsequent experimental verification, so that intuition is first educated through classroom demonstrations.The early educational project is illustrated along with its adaptations to different contexts, including high-school situated environments, teachers training, and outreach activities. Then, the evolution of the PEL environment is focused, aimed at enhancing its impact and overturning weak points. This amounts to the Street-Physics Toolbox (SPT), conceived just before the pandemic in the form of 60 video-pills exhausting the full physics program, and resulted to be of significant utility within the perimeter of distance teaching. Implementation examples in real different context are discussed, also in relationship with the general Inquired-Based Learning cycle and of flipped-classroom approaches. Future perspectives include a systematic assessment of the PEL and SPT environment and extending contents for quantum physics and technologies education.KeywordsGeneral physics teachingInquiry-based learningFlipped classroom 

Marilu Chiofalo

Papers

Resonance Superfluidity in a Quantum Degenerate Fermi Gas

Quantum games and interactive tools for quantum technologies outreach and education

Contributions from Pilot Projects in Quantum Technology Education as Support Action to Quantum Flagship

The Physics of Everyday Life Toolbox for Basic Physics Courses