Description: Cold molecular beam sources and Stark/Zeeman deceleration for precision spectroscopy.
Brantut's lab studies quantum transport in ultracold Fermi gases, using them as quantum simulators for nanoscale solid-state devices. Research directions: (1) Mesoscopic quantum transport β fermionic cold atoms transported through quantum point contacts, studying conductance quantization, shot noise, and thermoelectric effects in atomic-scale channels; (2) Fermionic superfluidity in confined geometries β observing and probing pairing in constrictions; (3) Dissipation and open quantum systems β controlled introduction of loss to study non-Hermitian quantum physics; (4) Quantum thermometry in ultracold systems β using transport signatures as precision thermometers. Analogous to quantum Hall measurements and nanoelectronics in an ultra-clean platform.
Brune leads the Circular Rydberg Atom / Cavity QED group at LKB (CollΓ¨ge de France site), continuing the work of Serge Haroche (Nobel 2012). Note: Brune is employed by ENS, not Sorbonne UniversitΓ©; postdoc contracts are typically ENS/CNRS. Research directions: (1) Circular Rydberg atoms β atoms in extremely high principal quantum number states (n~50) with extremely long radiative lifetimes (~30 ms) and large dipole moments; (2) Cavity QED quantum sensing β single circular atoms probe the microwave field in a superconducting cavity photon-by-photon via quantum non-demolition measurement; (3) Quantum state engineering β generating Fock states, SchrΓΆdinger cat states, and entangled atom-field states in the cavity; (4) Tests of quantum complementarity β observing decoherence of mesoscopic superpositions in real time as a probe of quantum-to-classical transition. The 'quantum radio receiver' using single atoms to sense individual microwave photons is a landmark quantum sensing demonstration.
Caldwell is a Royal Society University Research Fellow establishing the Molecular Quantum Matter Lab at UCL. Research directions: (1) Precision molecular spectroscopy for dark matter and fifth-force searches β measuring isotope shifts in molecular systems to test Standard Model predictions and probe new forces between neutrons and electrons; (2) Quantum control of molecules in external fields β laser cooling, Stark deceleration, and magneto-optical trapping of polar molecules; (3) Molecular beam spectroscopy with frequency comb referencing for ultra-high-precision lineshape measurements. The lab aims to build the most precise molecular spectrometer for BSM physics searches. Actively building the lab and seeking motivated students/postdocs.
Experimental AMO physicist focused on precision measurement for fundamental physics. Primary directions: (1) ACME experiment measuring electron electric dipole moment to unprecedented precision using ThO molecular beam β tests for new CP-violating physics beyond the Standard Model; (2) ultracold polar molecule quantum simulation and quantum information in optical tweezers. Atomic coherence techniques underpin SERF/OPM magnetometry. Joined UChicago from Yale 2022.
Prof. Gaynor (Chemistry, joined summer 2023) develops cutting-edge ultrafast spectroscopy at the physics-chemistry frontier. Directions: (1) Attochemistry β new ultrafast laser spectroscopies operating on attosecond to femtosecond timescales to directly measure how electron spin and orbital motion couple to molecular geometry (spin-vibronic coupling) in chiral molecules and materials of interest for energy conversion and spintronics; (2) Multidimensional nonlinear spectroscopy (2D electronic spectroscopy, 2D vibrational) to track energy and charge transfer immediately after photoexcitation; (3) Instrumentation-first approach: building novel attosecond transient absorption and correlation spectroscopy apparatus from scratch, enabling entirely new observables (e.g., electron-nuclear and spin-orbital correlations). INQUIRE faculty affiliate. Beckman Young Investigator 2025 ($600k, 4 yrs); Packard Fellow 2025 ($875k, 5 yrs).
Glorieux leads the Quantum Fluids of Light and Nanophotonics group at LKB. Research directions: (1) Quantum fluids of light in atomic vapors β hot Rb/Cs vapor as paraxial photon fluids exhibiting superfluidity, soliton dynamics, and vortex formation; first analogue cosmological particle creation (Hawking effect) in a photon fluid (Nature Communications 2022); (2) Polariton superfluids β exciton-polariton microcavities for analogue gravity, Bogoliubov dispersion mapping, and first-order dissipative phase transitions; (3) Nanophotonics β coupling single quantum emitters (nanofiber-coupled atoms, perovskite nanocrystals) for quantum photonics and sensing; displacement sensor based on optical nanofiber; (4) Optical computing interfaces with quantum systems. Marie Curie IOF Fellow (2011), City of Paris Young Scientist Award (2015).
Hogan's group studies atoms and molecules in high Rydberg states for precision measurements and quantum sensing. Research directions: (1) Rydberg atom electric field sensing β Rydberg atoms exhibit enormous electric polarizabilities; Stark-map and EIT-based electrometry with sub-mV/cm sensitivity and GHz-range frequency coverage; (2) Rydberg molecule spectroscopy β long-range Rydberg molecules as probes of intermolecular forces; (3) Stark deceleration and trapping of Rydberg atoms/molecules β producing cold samples for precision spectroscopy and scattering experiments; (4) Circular Rydberg states β extremely long-lived states for quantum information storage and sensing. Collaborates on quantum-enhanced sensing of RF/microwave fields.
Laurat leads the Quantum Networks team at LKB, developing quantum memories and atom-photon interfaces for quantum network applications. Research directions: (1) High-efficiency cold-atom quantum memories β DLCZ-protocol and AFC memories for telecom photons; demonstrating >90% efficiency and multimode operation; quantum cryptography integrating optical quantum memory (arXiv Mar 2025); (2) Waveguide QED β cold atoms coupled to nanofibers and nanophotonic waveguides for super-radiance, photon-bound states, and atom-photon gates; (3) Quantum network protocols β entanglement distribution, quantum repeater segments; part of European Quantum Flagship 'Quantum Internet Alliance'; (4) Hybrid entanglement β continuous-variable and discrete-variable hybrid entanglement for CHSH Bell tests (PRA 2024). Senior IUF member.
McDonald leads the Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics (QTFP) theme at CQSE Manchester. Research directions: (1) Manchester Axion Novel Cavity eXperiment (MANCX) β building a cavity haloscope to search for QCD axions and axion-like particles coupling to photons via resonant microwave cavity enhancement at Manchester; (2) Astroparticle theory β superradiance from black holes for ultralight dark matter/axion bounds; neutron star probes of new physics; (3) Dark energy / extended gravity β vacuum energy and Casimir-type effects; (4) High-frequency gravitational waves β novel detection concepts. Workshop chair for Manchester's QTFP international workshop (Jan 2026). Interdisciplinary collaboration with quantum engineers, low-temperature physicists, and particle physicists.
Merkt leads the Molecular Physics and Spectroscopy group at ETH D-CHAB. Research directions: (1) High-resolution XUV/VUV spectroscopy β using synchrotron radiation and table-top laser sources to study molecular Rydberg states, ionization thresholds, and ro-vibrational structure at sub-MHz precision; (2) Precision molecular clock transitions β proposing and measuring molecular transitions suitable for fundamental constant variation searches (ΞΌ, Ξ±); (3) Metastable atom and ion trapping β developing new trapping methods for precision spectroscopy of exotic species; (4) Pulse and Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy β rotational spectroscopy of transient species. Direct applications to molecular quantum sensing and fundamental physics.