Graduate Program in Physics at UFSC, Florianópolis

THE PHYSICS GRADUATE PROGRAM invites everyone to the seminar: 

Detection of quantum entanglement: experiments with spatially entangled photon pairs 

Stephen Patrick Walborn

Instituto de Física – UFRJ

 Abstract:

The twin photons produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion have been an exceptional tool for the study of entanglement and quantum information. The spatial correlation of these photons was one of the first properties to be studied. Nevertheless, the convenient and efficient detection of quantum entanglement in the spatial variables is still an active area of research, with possible applications in quantum cryptography and communication. Here we present several experiments performed at the Quantum Optics Laboratory at the Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. We present several novel experimental methods to detect the entanglement in the transverse spatial variables of photon pairs. Both methods use spatial light modulators to imprint an appropriate phase profile on the down-converted photons. Our first method uses this phase profile to measure the spatial correlation functions directly. With these, we can evaluate known entanglement witnesses in a more efficient fashion, without the need for a position-dependent detection system. Our second method uses complementary masks to discretize the detection system, again allowing for a more efficient identification of entanglement via a novel entanglement witness.

Date: 17/April/2015 – (friday) – Place: Sala 212 – Auditório do Departamento de Física– Time: 10h15min

5min

 THE PHYSICS GRADUATE PROGRAM invites everyone to the seminar: 

   O Lado Escuro do Universo  

Rogerio Rosenfeld – Instituto de Física Teórica / UNESP

Abstract:

 Sabemos hoje que apenas 5% do Universo é composto de átomos. Nesse colóquio vou descrever brevemente o que pensamos que são os 95% restantes: matéria escura e energia escura.

Date: 10/April/2015 – (friday) – Place: Sala 212 – Auditório do Departamento de Física– Time: 10h15min

THE PHYSICS GRADUATE PROGRAM invites everyone to the seminar: 

   O Centenário da Relatividade Geral 

Prof. Dr. Victor de Oliveira Rivelles

Instituto de Física – USP

 Abstract:

 Apresentaremos um panorama geral de uma das teorias que revolucionaram a física do século XX. Veremos o que levou Einstein a formular a relatividade geral, as mudanças de paradigmas que gerou, seus efeitos mais importantes, dentre eles ondas gravitacionais e buracos negros e como levou ao nascimento de um novo ramo da ciência, a cosmologia.

Date: 13/March/2015 – (friday) – Place: Sala 212 – Auditório do Departamento de Física– Time: 10h15min

 THE PHYSICS GRADUATE PROGRAM invites everyone to the seminar: 

   Quantum dipolar gases for quantum magnetism 

Laurent Vernac

Laboratoire de Physique des Lasers / Université Paris 13

Abstract:

Bose Einstein Condensates (BEC) have been obtained with ultra cold atoms in 1995. In these quantum gases all atoms are in the same quantum state, which gives them unique properties in terms of coherence, and allows for observation of matter interference, superfluidity, or transition from superfluid to Mott insulator states in an optical lattice. I will present experimental results obtained in our group with chromium atoms. Due to the high spin (S=3) in the ground state of chromium, there are large magnetic dipole-dipole interactions (DDIs) between the atoms, which are long range, and anisotropic. They confer specific properties to chromium BECs. For example, the excitation spectrum depends on the direction of the magnetic field: a Cr BEC can be seen as an anisotropic superfluid [1]. DDIs allow as well the change of the magnetization of the sample, which leads to spontaneous depolarization of the BEC at low magnetic fields, and multi-components BECs [2,3]. The main part of my talk will be devoted to the results we have obtained in a 3D optical lattice. We have studied spin exchange dynamics due to DDIs in the Mott insulator state, with one or two atoms per lattice site [4]. Our system is well described by an effective XXZ spin Hamiltonian, with Ising and exchange terms. We thus obtain an interesting system for quantum simulation, which realizes a spin model used in condensed matter physics, with true spin-spin interactions. As correlations build up between the few thousands of atoms loaded in the lattice, our system should reveal as well the existence of entanglement between many particles, through the finding of a relevant experimental entanglement witness. I will conclude by perspectives offered by our recent production of a chromium quantum gas with the fermionic isotope (Fermi Sea) [5].

REFS.:

[1] Anisotropic Excitation Spectrum of a Dipolar Quantum Bose Gas G. Bismut et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 155302 (2012)

[2] Spontaneous demagnetization of a dipolar spinor Bose gas atultra-low magnetic field

B. Pasquiou, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 255303 (2011)

[3] Thermodynamics of a Bose-Einstein condensate with free magnetization B. Pasquiou et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 108, 045307 (2012)

[4] Nonequilibrium Quantum Magnetism in a Dipolar Lattice Gas A. de Paz et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 111, 185305 (2013)

[5] Chromium Dipolar Fermi SeaB. Naylor et al., Phys. Rev. A 91, 011603(R) (2015)

Date: 6/March/2015 – (friday) – Place: Sala 212 – Auditório do Departamento de Física– Time: 10h15min

THE PHYSICS GRADUATE PROGRAM invites everyone to the seminar: 

Correlating Structural, Electronic and Ionic Diffusion Properties of Nanomaterials for Energy Storage 

Profª Drª Corinne Arrouvel / UFSCar – Sorocaba

 Abstract:

 The quest of new materials at the nanoscale is an important topic in the modern society. The industrial interest is to improve the energy conversion, the storage capacity and the kinetic of the electrochemical energy in high-technology devices. Materials should be in addition low cost, stable under a wide range of temperature and pressure conditions and safe. This talk will introduce basic concepts of electrochemistry, of bulk and surface properties in order to explain the difference of energy carrier transport mechanisms in rechargeable lithium batteries, capacitors, solid oxide fuel cells and solar cells. Combining computational and experimental techniques, we show that some key aspects are based on the search of optimized size and morphology of their nanocomponents. Anisotropic energy pathways and crystal shape will be therefore highlighted.

Date: 05/December/2014 – (Friday) – Place: Sala 212 – Auditório do Departamento de Física- Time: 10h15min