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Research Director: Dr. Masahito UEDA
(Professor, The University of Tokyo)
Research Term: 2005-2010

Recent advance in laser cooling technology has enabled us to cool millions of atoms close to absolute zero. This ultracold gas is an ideal testing ground for studying macroscopic quantum phenomena: not only can we access wave functions of atoms, we can “tune” the details including interatomic interactions. Furthermore, if we design the system properly, this “tuning” could lead to drastic changes in physical properties of the entire system.

The goal of our project is to establish ultimate control of macroscopic quantum systems with large degree of freedom. Comprehensive understanding of the cold atom physics obtained from this project should contribute both fundamental science and practical applications.

The project consists of the following four research groups: 1) Ultracold Molecules group, 2) Quantum Information group, 3) Strongly Correlated Quantum Gases group, and 4) Theory group. Each group takes a uniquely distinct approach to achieve our goal and pioneer a new research area on macroscopic quantum phenomena.