seminar June 12 at Boston University

[dalessio buphy bu edu]

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Thanks
Luca D'Alessio

Time: June 12th 2013, at 11am
Location: Boston University, room SCI 328
Speaker: Dr. MArco Schiro' (Princeton)
Title: Quantum Many Body Physics with Strongly Interacting Light-Matter
Systems

Abstract:
In the physics of strongly correlated quantum systems the electromagnetic
radiation has traditionally assumed the role of a spectroscopic probe and
thus treated as a classical field.
In recent years an increasing control over light-matter interactions at
the genuine quantum level has been achieved due to experimental
developments in quantum optics  and quantum electronics . This has brought
forth a novel class of many body systems where elementary excitations are
made by single quanta of light and matter. These hybrid setups are
currently attracting a great experimental and theoretical interest, for
the unique features they offer to explore quantum many body physics in
novel far from equilibrium regimes.  Motivated by the experimental effort
currently ongoing at Princeton, to realize these correlated systems of
photons and atoms using superconducting circuits, in this talk I will
discuss the physics of large arrays of microwave resonators coupled to
superconducting qubits via the elementary Rabi non-linearity. I will argue
that the very nature of photon field and its interaction with matter-like
excitations allows to stabilize finite-density quantum phases of
correlated photons out of the vacuum. I will discuss the properties of
these phases and the quantum phase transition occurring between them and
highlight the differences with the physics of interacting massive quantum
particles.