Quantum technology applications in thermodynamics and beyond
Prof. Dr. Artur Widera (TU Kaiserslautern)

Excellent experimental control over quantum systems is increasingly bringing applications in quan-tum technologies within reach. In my talk, I will present our work on quantum technology applica-tions in various physical systems.

Ultracold atoms have proven to be excellent platforms for studying quantum effects. In recent years, we have succeeded in introducing single Cs atoms as controlled impurities in an ultracold gas of Rb atoms. Spin-exchange collisions allow a very controlled transfer of energy quanta, and we use this transfer to operate the single atom as a machine in a magnetic field gradient. In another exper-imental setup, we address whether the significant energy differences resulting from the Pauli prin-ciple between ensembles of different fermionic and bosonic quantum statistics can be used as a novel form of energy to drive a quantum machine.

Finally, I will present two new projects in the field of quantum technology. First, we are studying nanocrystals of diamond with a large number of NV centers in terms of collective effects and track-ing how the typical signatures in fluorescence lifetime and photon statistics change when larger agglomerates of nanocrystals show the transition to a bulk-like material.

Second, I report on a new BMBF collaborative project, the quantum computing demonstrator pro-ject Rymax, which will simulate optimization problems from logistics and industry expressed as gra-phene problems on an array of single Yb atoms with Rydberg excitations.