Quantum Institute: Visitor Schedule

The Quantum Lunch is regularly held on Thursdays in the Theoretical Division Conference Room, TA-3, Building 123, Room 121.
For more information, contact Diego Dalvit.

November 10, 2005
12:30 PM

Giovanna Morigi,
University of Barcelona

Coulomb Crystals: An Unusual Form of Condensed Matter

Abstract

Ultracold gases of singly charged atoms confined by external potentials form crystallized structures, whose symmetry and dimensionaltiy are determined by the form of the trap. Theses structures constitute a peculiar form of crystal, where the particle-particle interaction is an unscreened Coulomb potential and the inter-article distance is of the order of several micrometers. In this talk I will briefly review the current experimental state-of-the-art. I will then discuss in detail the role of dimensionality on the thermodynamic properties of these systems, focusing on Coulomb chains, namely one-dimensional structures obtained in highly anisotropic traps.