Ultracold quantum gas research emerged from a century of experiments in atomic physics, in which physicists learned to control the quantum states of individual particles with remarkable precision. While much of this work focussed on manipulating the internal states of these atoms (determining, for instance, the energy and angular momentum of the electrons and nucleons comprising the atom), researchers eventually started using technologies such as lasers to additionally control how the atoms moved, culminating in Nobel prizes for laser cooling and trapping and the creation of a Bose-Einstein condensate -- a special state of matter in which all the particles coalesce to act as a type of “super atom”.
Through the links below, explore an introduction to some of the techniques used in this field, and an introduction to how we can use these techniques to explore physics principles that apply to all kinds of systems, especially those in condensed matter. Also, check out the Links page for more resources.