Experiments

Quantum mixtures

The Quantum Mixtures experiment stands as a predominantly experimental activity of research in the field of cold and degenerate atoms. The experiment targets the investigation of the physical properties of mixtures of degenerate gases of different atomic species. The use of multiple components increases the number of degrees of freedom and adds to the complexity and richness of the realizable physical models. Specifically, the Quantum Mixtures experiment aims to observe the behavior of a mixture of potassium and rubidium atoms in periodic potentials created by “optical lattices”. In this setting and within suitable regimes, the atomic mixture is described by many-body hamiltonian models similar to those used for magnetic systems of interacting spins in the physics of condensed matter. The goal of the experiment is thus the exploration of quantum magnetism by means of its simulation with degenerate atoms.

Part of the optical and vacuum setup