Atomic Hydrogen in an Optical Lattice

• Applicant: Omer Amit, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 534953889

The simple structure of the hydrogen atom is commonly used as a testbed for quantum electrodynamics (QED). Spectroscopy of trapped atomic samples can greatly improve the precision and accuracy of these tests. Trapping atomic hydrogen in an optical lattice has never been achieved before. I propose new and novel methods to load atomic hydrogen into an optical dipole trap without the use of superconducting magnets or vacuum ultraviolet lasers. Standard techniques of atomic physics, like Doppler cooling, are difficult to apply to the hydrogen atom due to its low mass and high transition frequencies from the ground state. My new methods take advantage of these two properties and allow us to trap atomic hydrogen, for the first time, in a magic wavelength dipole trap. Such a trap is needed to achieve the highest precision. The research aims to resolve the 1S-2S transition with a natural linewidth of 1.3 Hz. Such a system can also be used as a `computable' atomic clock which can help redefine the SI second in terms of the Rydberg constant.

• DFG Programme: WBP Position