Observing and Controlling Quantum Matter at the Single Atom Level
Prof. I. Bloch (Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik, Garching b. München)

The realization of ultracold quantum gases at Nanokelvin temperatures has marked a milestone in modern quantum physics. With the help of laser light, these ultracold atom clouds can be stored in artificial periodic potentials created by laser light - so called optical lattices - that allow us to explore fundamental aspects of strongly interacting fermionic and bosonic quantum matter.
Recently, we have been able to record single snapshots of a quantum fluid in which individual atoms are detected with single lattice site resolution. Furthermore, we have been able to control individual atoms with sub-diffraction limited resolution, enabling us to write arbitrary spin patterns into the lattice gas of atoms. Our experiments open unprecedented novel opportunities for analyzing and manipulating strongly interacting quantum system. In my talk, I will review some of these recent experiments on strongly correlated quantum gases in optical lattices and highlight connections to condensed matter physics, quantum information science and atomic- and molecular physics.