The Atomic Quantum Optics group at ICFO, led by Morgan W. Mitchell, studies quantum phenomena at the interface between light and matter. We also develop sensing technologies based on these phenomena, for use in applications ranging from biomedicine to space science to fundamental physics.
Atoms are the best systems we know for maintaining quantum coherence, the raw material of any quantum technology. Some hot-atom systems are thought to have single-atom coherence times of several weeks, far longer than, for example, solid-state quantum systems. Meanwhile, cold atom systems like Bose-Einstein condensates naturally produce many-body quantum coherence, also called entanglement. The records for the most complex entangled states are held by such cold atom systems. And the key to working with any atomic coherence is its interaction with light; modern photonics gives us an extraordinary ability to shape light fields, and this creates new possibilities for the understanding and use of atomic coherence.