Quantum uncertainty hampers the precision of state-of-the-art measurements of time, magnetic fields, acceleration and gravity. Pushing these measurements to their ultimate limits requires engineering entanglement, that is, controllably introducing correlations into the randomness inherent in the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics.

In this lecture, Monika Schleier-Smith will describe experiments in which clouds of atoms are manipulated with laser light to generate entanglement that squeezes quantum uncertainty for improved measurement precision. She will also touch on broader opportunities for leveraging the experimental toolbox of atoms and photons in areas ranging from quantum computation to table-top simulations of quantum gravity.

Schleier-Smith is an associate professor in the physics department at Stanford University. Her research employs atoms and light as building blocks for advancing control and understanding of quantum many-body systems motivated by applications in quantum sensing, simulation and computation. She is a recipient of the I. I. Rabi Prize in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, a fellow of the American Physical Society and a MacArthur Foundation fellow.

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SCHEDULE

Doors open: 5:30 p.m. (No entrance before 5:30 p.m.)

Lecture: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. (Admittance closes at 6:20 p.m.)

The Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and offers accessible seating to visitors with special access needs.

The theme of the 2023 Simons Foundation Presidential Lecture series in physics is The Third Quantum Revolution. The first quantum revolution began with the discovery of quantum mechanics, which ultimately led to the invention of the transistor, the laser and the atomic clock. The second revolution enabled the control of small systems of particles and experimental demonstration of entanglement and non-locality — work that was recently recognized with the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics. We are now on the verge of a third quantum revolution, enabling the control of large quantum systems to forge previously unrealized quantum technologies. These talks will explore the many dimensions of this third revolution, from basic physics to quantum computing, communication and sensing.

SQUEEZING QUANTUM UNCERTAINTY BY ENTANGLING ATOMS