Speaker
Description
Ultracold quantum gases are versatile model systems for quantum simulation, since both the quantum gas itself and its surrounding potential landscape can be controlled with high precision [1].
The generation of nearly arbitrary optical potentials is made possible through Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs), which consist of arrays of individually tiltable micrometer-sized mirrors.
Here, I present an investigation of the suitability of a DMD for high-resolution manipulation of a fermionic quantum gas of lithium-6 atoms. For this purpose, I designed and constructed a modular optical test setup to characterize the device’s diffraction properties. Furthermore, I compared the timing behavior of the device’s operating modes and identified the uninterrupted projection mode as the most suitable option for generating stable optical potentials. To compensate for optical distortions in the desired potentials, I implemented an iterative feedback loop. Testing the feedback loop on a variety of target potentials yielded corrected intensity patterns with root-mean-square deviations below 3%.
[1] I. Bloch, J. Dalibard and S. Nascimbène, Quantum simulations with ultracold quantum gases, Nature Phys. 8, 267–276 (2012).