Researchers at JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado, have developed a new technique to study ultracold atomic gases. The technique, which adapts photoemission spectroscopy used in materials science, allows scientists to simultaneously measure the energy and momentum of atoms in a superfluid gas.
The new method reveals hidden properties of the gas, particularly the energy gap that forms as atoms pair up. This energy gap is similar to what appears in high-temperature superconductors, which could have applications in more efficient electricity transmission.
The technique could also be used to study atoms trapped in laser light lattices, a building block for atomic clocks and quantum computers. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation and published in Nature.
Keywords: Superfluidity, Ultracold atomic gases, Photoemission spectroscopy, Energy gap, Fermi gas
