Sabrina Leslie Abstract

Sabrina Leslie University of California, Berkeley

"Parametric Amplification of Spin Fluctuations in a Spinor Condensate"

ABSTRACT:

Ultracold atomic gases serve as platform for studies of quantum dynamics and many-body quantum phases. Among these systems, a gaseous spinor Bose Einstein condensate provides a compelling opportunity to access the dynamical properties of a magnetic superfluid. We have performed in situ studies of such a gas using a magnetization sensitive imaging method. We have identified a quantum phase transition in a spin 1 gas between a paramagnetic and a ferromagnetic phase. By making use of the accompanying dynamical instabilities, we have demonstrated the use of a spinor condensate as a tunable mode-by-mode parametric amplifier of magnetization fluctuations. Further, we have considered the possibility for generating and observing spin squeezed states in this system.