Two-Particle Interference with Double Twin-Atom Beams.

We demonstrate a source for correlated pairs of atoms characterized by two opposite momenta and two spatial modes forming a Bell state only involving external degrees of freedom. We characterize the state of the emitted atom beams by observing strong number squeezing up to -10 dB in the correlated two-particle modes of emission. We furthermore demonstrate genuine two-particle interference in the normalized second-order correlation function g^{(2)} relative to the emitted atoms.

Unraveling the Structure of Ultracold Mesoscopic Collinear Molecular Ions.

We present an in-depth many-body investigation of the so-called mesoscopic molecular ions that can buildup when an ion is immersed into an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate in one dimension. To this end, we employ the multilayer multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree method for mixtures of ultracold bosonic species for solving the underlying many-body Schrödinger equation. This enables us to unravel the actual structure of such massive charged molecules from a microscopic perspective. Laying out their phase diagram with respect to atom number and interatomic interaction strength, we determine the maximal number of atoms bound to the ion and reveal spatial densities and molecular properties. Interestingly, we observe a strong interaction-induced localization, especially for the ion, that we explain by the generation of a large effective mass, similarly to ions in liquid Helium. Finally, we predict the dynamical response of the ion to small perturbations. Our results provide clear evidence for the importance of quantum correlations, as we demonstrate by benchmarking them with wave function ansatz classes employed in the literature.

Optimal control of complex atomic quantum systems.

Quantum technologies will ultimately require manipulating many-body quantum systems with high precision. Cold atom experiments represent a stepping stone in that direction: a high degree of control has been achieved on systems of increasing complexity. However, this control is still sub-optimal. In many scenarios, achieving a fast transformation is crucial to fight against decoherence and imperfection effects. Optimal control theory is believed to be the ideal candidate to bridge the gap between early stage proof-of-principle demonstrations and experimental protocols suitable for practical applications. Indeed, it can engineer protocols at the quantum speed limit - the fastest achievable timescale of the transformation. Here, we demonstrate such potential by computing theoretically and verifying experimentally the optimal transformations in two very different interacting systems: the coherent manipulation of motional states of an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate and the crossing of a quantum phase transition in small systems of cold atoms in optical lattices. We also show that such processes are robust with respect to perturbations, including temperature and atom number fluctuations.

Interferometry with non-classical motional states of a Bose-Einstein condensate.

The Ramsey interferometer is a prime example of precise control at the quantum level. It is usually implemented using internal states of atoms, molecules or ions, for which powerful manipulation procedures are now available. Whether it is possible to control external degrees of freedom of more complex, interacting many-body systems at this level remained an open question. Here we demonstrate a two-pulse Ramsey-type interferometer for non-classical motional states of a Bose-Einstein condensate in an anharmonic trap. The control sequences used to manipulate the condensate wavefunction are obtained from optimal control theory and are directly optimized to maximize the interferometric contrast. They permit a fast manipulation of the atomic ensemble compared to the intrinsic decay processes and many-body dephasing effects. This allows us to reach an interferometric contrast of 92% in the experimental implementation.

Emulating solid-state physics with a hybrid system of ultracold ions and atoms.

We propose and theoretically investigate a hybrid system composed of a crystal of trapped ions coupled to a cloud of ultracold fermions. The ions form a periodic lattice and induce a band structure in the atoms. This system combines the advantages of high fidelity operations and detection offered by trapped ion systems with ultracold atomic systems. It also features close analogies to natural solid-state systems, as the atomic degrees of freedom couple to phonons of the ion lattice, thereby emulating a solid-state system. Starting from the microscopic many-body Hamiltonian, we derive the low energy Hamiltonian, including the atomic band structure, and give an expression for the atom-phonon coupling. We discuss possible experimental implementations such as a Peierls-like transition into a period-doubled dimerized state.

Bosonic Josephson junction controlled by a single trapped ion.

We theoretically investigate the properties of a double-well bosonic Josephson junction coupled to a single trapped ion. We find that the coupling between the wells can be controlled by the internal state of the ion, which can be used for studying mesoscopic entanglement between the two systems and to measure their interaction with high precision. As a particular example we consider a single ^{87}Rb atom and a small Bose-Einstein condensate controlled by a single 171Yb+ ion. We calculate interwell coupling rates reaching hundreds of Hz, while the state dependence amounts to tens of Hz for plausible values of the currently unknown s-wave scattering length between the atom and the ion. The analysis shows that it is possible to induce either the self-trapping or the tunneling regime, depending on the internal state of the ion. This enables the generation of large scale ion-atomic wave packet entanglement within current technology.

Optimal control of open quantum systems: cooperative effects of driving and dissipation.

We investigate the optimal control of open quantum systems, in particular, the mutual influence of driving and dissipation. A stochastic approach to open-system control is developed, using a generalized version of Krotov's iterative algorithm, with no need for Markovian or rotating-wave approximations. The application to a harmonic degree of freedom reveals cooperative effects of driving and dissipation that a standard Markovian treatment cannot capture. Remarkably, control can modify the open-system dynamics to the point where the entropy change turns negative, thus achieving cooling of translational motion without any reliance on internal degrees of freedom.

The non-xanthine heterocyclic compound SCH 58261 is a new potent and selective A2a adenosine receptor antagonist.

We have characterized the in vitro pharmacological profile of the new potent and selective A2a adenosine receptor antagonist SCH 58261 [7-(2-phenylethyl)-5-amino-2-(2-furyl)-pyrazolo-[4,3-e]-1,2, 4-triazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidine]. In binding studies on rat and bovine brain tissues, SCH 58261 showed affinity in the low nanomolar range at A2a adenosine striatal receptors and good A2a adenosine vs. A1 adenosine selectivity (about 50- to 100-fold in rat and bovine brain, respectively). SCH 58261 did not show affinity for either the A3 adenosine receptor or other receptors at concentrations up to 1 microM. Saturation experiments on rat A1 and A2a adenosine receptors indicated the competitive nature of the antagonism. SCH 58261 antagonized competitively the effects induced by the A2a adenosine-selective agonist CGS 21680 (2-[4-(2-carboxyethyl)-phenethyl-amino]-5'-N- ethylcarboxamidoadenosine) in two functional assays, such as inhibition of rabbit platelet aggregation and porcine coronary artery relaxation. Specifically, the compound showed pA2 values of 7.9 and 9.5, respectively. SCH 58261 (300 nM) failed to antagonize 5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine-induced vasorelaxation in the isolated guinea pig aorta, a response mediated by A2b adenosine receptors. Likewise, at the same concentration, the compound weakly inhibited the A1 adenosine-mediated negative chronotropic effect induced by 2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine in the isolated rat atria. These data show that SCH 58261 is a potent and selective non-xanthine A2a adenosine antagonist which has competitive properties in biological responses mediated by this receptor subtype. The compound is of interest for investigating the biological role of A2a adenosine receptors and deserves further attention to clarify the therapeutic potential of A2a antagonists.