Theoretical Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics Group

Institute of Electronic Structure & Laser (IESL)
Foundation for Research & Technology-Hellas (FORTH)
P.O. Box 1527, 71110 Heraklion, Crete, GREECE

http://gate.iesl.forth.gr/~tamop

Tel: +30-2810-39-1300
Fax: +30-2810-39-1305
E-Mail: tamop (at) iesl.forth.gr

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The research interests and activities of our Group span a broad range of topics including, but not limited to, atomic structure and radiation-atom interactions, quantum and non-linear optics, ultracold atoms and quantum gases, quantum information processing and communication.

Interaction of strong EM fields of optical to X-ray frequencies with atoms and molecules Atomic structure is a prerequisite of all problems involving the interaction of lasers with atoms. An ongoing part of our activity consists of theoretical and computational methods, which include perturbative as well as non-perturbative approaches, capable of treating real atoms under optical laser pulses of arbitrarily high intensity, ultrashort pulse duration and realistic spatio-temporal shape. Most recently, we have undertaken studies pertaining to the interaction of atoms with intense, coherent short wavelength radiation (from XUV to hard X-rays), available through the new generation of FEL-based sources. This work involves the development of new theoretical and computational approaches, as well as the interpretation of all experimental results obtained thus far from the source FLASH at DESY, in Hamburg, with continuing involvement in ongoing or planned experiments. Project Coordinator: P. Lambropoulos

Ultracold atoms The activities of our group in the context of ultracold quantum gases focus mainly on various aspects of Bose-Einstein condensation, including the merging of condensates (a fundamental process with many applications in the field of atom optics), dynamics of atom lasers, and interaction of condensates with radiation (e.g., superradiant Rayleigh scattering from condensates). Project Coordinators: P. Lambropoulos, G. M. Nikolopoulos

Physical implementations of quantum information processing and communication The field of quantum information is currently attracting enormous interest in view of its fundamental nature and its potentially revolutionary applications to computation and secure communication. Essentially, the implementation aspects of quantum information processing have by now become an integral part of modern physics and in particular quantum optics. Recently, we have been involved in studies of: Optimal state transfer in quantum networks Deterministic all-optical quantum computation and communication Quantum information processing with hybrid solid-state and quantum-optical systems Project Coordinators: P. Lambropoulos, G. M. Nikolopoulos, D. Petrosyan

Quantum cryptography Quantum cryptography is the most mature research field of quantum information processing. While certain quantum key-distribution (QKD) prototypes have entered the market, further deployment of QKD technology is hindered by various road blocks including the problem of key management, which appears in large communication networks. Our recent investigations are focused on the prospect of quantum public-key cryptography (QPKC) that remains largely unexplored up to now and can provide a way out of this stumbling block. QPKC combines the provable security of QKD protocols with the flexibility of conventional asymmetric cryptosystems, and has the potential to bring quantum cryptography closer to everyday life. Project Coordinators: G. M. Nikolopoulos

Quantum dynamics of many-body systems in periodic potentials Cold atoms in tight-binding optical lattice potentials can be controlled with very high precision. Such systems can implement with unprecedented accuracy some of the fundamental models of condensed matter physics, serving therefore as quantum simulators for the studies of many-body dynamics in periodic potentials. We are currently exploring several exotic few-body bound states, such as interaction-bound lattice dimers and trimers, and studying many-body physics of these composite objects, which can realize extended Hubbard model or anisotropic Heisenberg spin-1/2 model with novel intriguing features. Project Coordinator: D. Petrosyan

Electromagnetically induced transparency and its applications Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in coherently controlled atomic media is a quantum interference effect that results in dramatic reduction of the group velocity of weak propagating fields accompanied by vanishing absorption and steep dispersion. As the quantum interference is usually very sensitive to the system parameters, various schemes exhibiting EIT have recently received considerable attention due to their potential for greatly enhancing nonlinear optical effects at low-light level. Our studies of EIT applications include sensitive atomic magnetometry, tunable photonic bandgaps and giant cross-phase modulation for photonic quantum information processing. Project Coordinator: D. Petrosyan