Research directions / Objectives

 Mission Statement

To explore the unprecedented potential of matter-wave interferometry

To look at (de)coherence in increasingly complex quantum systems.

 The three experiments:

 BEC 1: Coherently guided matter-wave interferometry. Our matter-waves will be made from Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC). The interferometer will consist of a novel magnetic ring-shaped waveguide based on time-averaged adiabatic potentials (TAAP). A little 'teaser' movie of our TAAP can be seen here. With this experiment we are part of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network QTea (395k€), where we are developing the next generation of guided matter-wave interferometers. We are also the coordinators of the MatterWave network (a FET-STREP 2013-2017 network by the EU Total 2.6M€ of which IESL will get 652k€).

 BEC 2: Atom Lasers and BEC at high atom numbers. We have set up a second experiment, which looks at BEC at higher atom numbers. Here, we have recently demonstrated a novel atom laser, which has a record flux of 4x10^7 atom/s. We also made the coldest thermal source to date (200nK). We are currently exploring the phase properties of atom lasers.

In the future we plan to study the kinetics of the condensation process itself, as well as the rise and fall of coherence in phase-fluctuating condensates.

 BEC in space: Testing the equivalence principle. We are the coordinators of the Greek contribution to the STE-QUEST mission to send a BEC into space. The idea of the mission is to test Einstein’s equivalence principle, which states that the mass of acceleration and attraction are the same. Our part will be to design and construct the optical switching board at the center of the mission. The mission is a pan-European effort lead by Prof. Rasel from Hannover.

HIGHLIGHTS

Awards and Prizes

2005: ‘Certificate of Excellence‘
 of the
Young Scholars Competition, University of Berkeley
2006: Marie-Curie Excellence Grant  (MatterWaves)

Scientific Highlights

2009 The first Bose-Einstein Condensate of South-Eastern Europe
2013 By one order of magnitude the brightest atom laser ever

LATEST PAPERS

Saurabh Pandey, Hector Mas, Georgios Vasilakis, and Wolf von Klitzing
Atomtronic Matter-Wave Lensing
Physical Review Letters  126:17  (2021)  https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.126.170402

 

Saurabh Pandey, Hèctor Mas, Giannis Drougakis, Premjith Thekkeppatt, Vasiliki Bolpasi, Georgios Vasilakis, Konstantinos Poulios, and Wolf von Klitzing
Hypersonic Bose--Einstein condensates in accelerator rings
Nature  570:7760 205--209 (2019) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1273-5

 

 

 

Research Topics

RESEARCH DIRECTIONS / OBJECTIVES

 Mission Statement

To explore the unprecedented potential of matter-wave interferometry

To look at (de)coherence in increasingly complex quantum systems.

 The three experiments:

 BEC 1: Coherently guided matter-wave interferometry. Our matter-waves will be made from Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC). The interferometer will consist of a novel magnetic ring-shaped waveguide based on time-averaged adiabatic potentials (TAAP). A little 'teaser' movie of our TAAP can be seen here. With this experiment we are part of the Marie Curie Initial Training Network QTea (395k€), where we are developing the next generation of guided matter-wave interferometers. We are also the coordinators of the MatterWave network (a FET-STREP 2013-2017 network by the EU Total 2.6M€ of which IESL will get 652k€).

 BEC 2: Atom Lasers and BEC at high atom numbers. We have set up a second experiment, which looks at BEC at higher atom numbers. Here, we have recently demonstrated a novel atom laser, which has a record flux of 4x10^7 atom/s. We also made the coldest thermal source to date (200nK). We are currently exploring the phase properties of atom lasers.

In the future we plan to study the kinetics of the condensation process itself, as well as the rise and fall of coherence in phase-fluctuating condensates.

 BEC in space: Testing the equivalence principle. We are the coordinators of the Greek contribution to the STE-QUEST mission to send a BEC into space. The idea of the mission is to test Einstein’s equivalence principle, which states that the mass of acceleration and attraction are the same. Our part will be to design and construct the optical switching board at the center of the mission. The mission is a pan-European effort lead by Prof. Rasel from Hannover.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Publication
2019: Nature Publications: Hypersonic Transport of Bose-Einstein Condensates in a Neutral-Atom Accelerator Ring (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1273-5)
Awards and Prizes
2005: ‘Certificate of Excellence‘
 of the
Young Scholars Competition, University of Berkeley
2006: Marie-Curie Excellence Grant  (MatterWaves)

Scientific Highlights
2009 The first Bose-Einstein Condensate of South-Eastern Europe
2013 By one order of magnitude the brightest atom laser ever

 

 

Quantum Enhanced Sensing with Cold Atoms
COST network on Cold Atom Quantum Technologies (CA16221)
Cavity-Enhanced Microscopy
Mask Based Lithography for Fast, Large Scale Pattern Generation with Nanometer Resolution
Atomtronic circuits: From many-body physics to quantum technologies
L. Amico, D. Anderson, M. Boshier, J.-P. Brantut, L.-C. Kwek, A. Minguzzi, and W. von Klitzing
Rev. Mod. Phys., Volume:94, Page:041001, Year:2022, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.94.041001
Atomtronic Matter-Wave Lensing
Saurabh Pandey, Hector Mas, Georgios Vasilakis, and Wolf von Klitzing
Phys. Rev. Lett. , Volume:126, Page:170402, Year:2021, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.126.170402
Hypersonic Bose–Einstein condensates in accelerator rings
Saurabh Pandey, Hector Mas, Giannis Drougakis, Premjith Thekkeppatt, Vasiliki Bolpasi, Georgios Vasilakis, Konstantinos Poulios, and Wolf von Klitzing
Nature, Volume:AOP, Page:205--211, Year:2019, DOI:doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1273-5
See also: Atomic rollercoaster
Federico Levi
Nature Physics, Volume:July, Page:-, Year:2019, DOI:doi.org/10.1038/s41567-019-0588-3
Matter-wave interferometers using TAAP rings
P. Navez, S. Pandey, H. Mas, K. Poulios, T. Fernholz, and W. von Klitzing
N J Phys, Volume:18, Page:075014, Year:2016, DOI:dx.doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/18/7/075014
Microwave spectroscopy of radio-frequency-dressed Rb87
G. A. Sinuco-Leon, B. M. Garraway, H. Mas, S. Pandey, G. Vasilakis, V. Bolpasi, W. von Klitzing, B. Foxon, S. Jammi, K. Poulios, and et al.
Phys. Rev. A, Volume:100, Page:053416-2, Year:2019, DOI:dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.100.053416
Transition from the mean-field to the bosonic Laughlin state in a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate
G. Vasilakis, A. Roussou, J. Smyrnakis, M. Magiropoulos, W. von Klitzing, and G. M. Kavoulakis
Phys. Rev. A, Volume:100, Page:023606-1, Year:2019, DOI:10.1103/PhysRevA.100.023606
AEDGE: Atomic Experiment for Dark Matter and Gravity Exploration in Space
Andrea Bertoldi et al.
arXiv e-prints, Volume:1908, Issue:00802, Page:1-25, Year:2019, DOI:arxiv.org/abs/1908.00802
ELGAR -- a European Laboratory for Gravitation and Atom-interferometric Research
B. Canuel et al.
arXiv e-prints, Volume:1911, Page:03701, Year:2019, DOI:arxiv.org/abs/1911.03701
Time-Averaged Adiabatic Potentials: Versatile Matter-Wave Guides and Atom Traps
I. Lesanovsky and W. von Klitzing
PRL, Volume:99, Page:083001, Year:2007, DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.99.083001
Simple precision measurements of optical beam sizes
M. Mylonakis, S. Pandey, K. G. Mavrakis, G. Drougakis, G. Vasilakis, D. G. Papazoglou, and W. von Klitzing
Applied Optics, Volume:57, Page:9863, Year:2018, DOI:dx.doi.org/10.1364/AO.57.009863
Precise and robust optical beam steering for space optical instrumentation
G. Drougakis, K. G. Mavrakis, S. Pandey, G. Vasilakis, K. Poulios, D. G. Papazoglou, and W. von Klitzing
CEAS Space Journal, Volume:-, Page:1-9, Year:2019, DOI:dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12567-019-00271-x
Atomtronic circuits: From many-body physics to quantum technologies
L. Amico, D. Anderson, M. Boshier, J.-P. Brantut, L.-C. Kwek, A. Minguzzi, and W. von Klitzing
Rev. Mod. Phys., Volume:94, Page:041001, Year:2022, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.94.041001
Stationary states of Bose-Einstein condensed atoms rotating in an asymmetric ring potential
M Ögren, Giannis Drougakis, Giorgos Vasilakis, Wolf von Klitzing, and G M Kavoulakis
J.Phys.B, Volume:54, Page:145303, Year:2021, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6455/ac1647

Heads

Dr. von Klitzing Wolf
Principal Researcher

Scientific Staff

Prof. Papazoglou Dimitrios
University Faculty Member
Prof. Makris Konstantinos
University Faculty Member

Research Associates

Dr. Drougakis Giannis
PostDoctoral Fellow

Students

Ms. Puthiya Veettil Vishnupriya
Ph.D. student
Mr. Pareek Vinay
Ph.D. student
Mr. Brimis Apostolos
Ph.D. student
Ms. Examilioti Pandora
Ph.D. student
Ms. Georgousi Mary
Ph.D. student
Ms. Examilioti Pandora
Ph.D. student
Ms. Aretaki Afroditi
Undergraduate trainee
Mr. Balamatsias Philippos
Undergraduate trainee
Mr. Blavakis Emmanouil
Undergraduate trainee

Alumni

Dr. Bolpasi Vasiliki
PostDoctoral Fellow
Dr. Pandey Saurabh
Ph.D. student
Dr. Mas Hector
Ph.D. student
Mr. Thekkeppatt Premjith
M.Sc. student
Prof. Miguel Iván Alonso
PostDoctoral Fellow
Ms. Antony Vidhu Catherine
Ph.D. student
Mr. Tzardis Vangelis
M.Sc. student
Mr. Vardakis Kostas
M.Sc. student
Mr. Pal Deba
Technical Scientist
Mr. Karunakaran Anamika Nair
M.Sc. student
Mr. Thekkeppatt Premjith
M.Sc. student
Mr. Christodoulou Panagiotis
M.Sc. student
Ms. Botsi Sofia
Undergraduate trainee
Dr. Poulios Konstantinos
PostDoctoral Fellow

Infrastructure Equipment

BEC1: An atomtronic matterwave interferometer

BEC 1 is concerned with trapped matterwave interferometry either in the fully trapped regime or in matterwave guides. We have recently demonstrated the first guiding of matterwaves over macroscopic distances without affecting the internal coherence of the Bose-Einstein Condensates (BEC), i.e. to guide them without any heating or atom-loss. The waveguides are formed from a combination of magnetic fields at different frequencies (ranging from DC, over LF and RF to microwaves).

We have recently managed to demonstrate the first fully coherent waveguides (published in Nature).

One possible version of the interferometer (trapped clock interferometer) is described here.