Dan Stamper-Kurn

Dan M. Stamper-Kurn came to Berkeley following his studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ph.D. 2000) and postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology (1999 – 2001). He is the recipient of the 2000 APS Division of Atomic, Optical and Molecular Physics Outstanding Thesis award, the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2001 – 2003), the David and Lucile Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering (2002 – 2007), and the Presidential Young Investigator Award in Science and Engineering (2002). He holds the Class of 1936 Second Chair in the College of Letters and Sciences (2007 – 2012), and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the Optical Society of America.

Research Interests

My research group investigates a number of topics at the forefront of quantum information science, including in the areas of quantum computing, quantum simulation, quantum networking and quantum optics, and precision and quantum measurement.

My group has assembled and operated a number of experimental setups (numbered chronologically) for our research on quantum information science and many-body quantum physics.  The E6 laboratory explores the physics of many-atom systems that interact with light within a high-finesse optical resonator, combining the capabilities of ultracold atomic physics and cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED).  In our present work, we use arrays of optical tweezer traps to position arrays of neutral atoms within a cavity, achieving unprecedented control of the position, internal state, and optical response of each individual atom.  This setup has allowed us to realize breakthroughs in quantum computing, e.g. through rapid mid-circuit measurement of atom tweezer arrays; in quantum optics, e.g. by assembling atomic metamaterials whose collective optical response is tuned between super- and sub-radiant regimes; and in quantum simulation, e.g. by studying an optomechanical Dicke phase transition in the mesoscopic regime.

The E8 laboratory is pioneering the use of transition-metal atoms in ultracold atomic physics.  We discovered a pathway for applying laser cooling to about twelve new atomic species among the transition metals.  Our current experimental effort focuses on atomic titanium, where we have recently achieved the first laser cooling and trapping of several titanium isotopes.  Our scientific targets include quantum information processing with transition-metal atomic qubits, realization of topological superfluidity in a quantum gas, realization of a new family of magnetically ordered bosonic superfluids, and operation of an optical atomic clock in the telecommunications band.

The E9 laboratory focuses on using ultracold atoms and spatially periodic optical potentials, known as optical lattices, to study phenomena that occur also in solid state materials.  A unique direction in this research is the use of triangular optical superlattices, formed by overlapping light beams of two different wavelengths.  With these superlattices, we can create a variety of lattice geometries, including the kagome and honeycomb lattices that are famous for their geometric frustration and for their relevance to many advanced materials.  We are now working with quantum gas mixtures of potassium and rubidium atoms, allowing us to study both bosonic and fermionic particles propagating in such lattices.

My research agenda continues to evolve and to involve new students (undergraduate and graduate), postdocs, and visitors. If you are interested in our work, or interested in joining us, please contact us.


Publications