Quantum Technologies for New-Physics Searches in the Laboratory and in Space

Man holding an atom

Department of Physics

Location: Babbio 203

Speaker: Marianna Safronova, Professor of Physics, University of Delaware

ABSTRACT

The extraordinary advances in quantum control of matter and light have been transformative for atomic and molecular precision measurements enabling probes of the most basic laws of Nature to gain a fundamental understanding of the physical Universe. Exceptional versatility, inventiveness, and rapid development of precision experiments supported by continuous technological advances and improved atomic and molecular theory led to rapid development of many avenues to explore new physics.

I will give an overview of atomic physics searches for physics beyond the standard model (BSM) and focus on dark matter searches with atomic and nuclear clocks and new ideas for BSM searches with quantum sensors in space. I will also discuss quantum algorithms that can aid dark matter searches. In conclusion, I will describe new efforts in developing a roadmap for terrestrial very-long-baseline (km-scale) atom interferometry for gravitational wave and dark matter detection.

BIOGRAPHY

Portrait of Marianna Safronova

Marianna Safronova is a UNIDEL Professor of Physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware. She earned her Ph.D. in physics from the University of Notre Dame, USA in 2001. Her diverse research interests include applications of quantum technologies to search for physics beyond the standard model of elementary particles and fields, applications of quantum technologies in space, development of atomic and nuclear clocks and their applications, ultra-cold atoms and quantum information, studies of fundamental symmetries, dark matter searches, quantum many-body theory and development of high-precision relativistic atomic codes, development of the online atomic data portal, highly-charged ions, superheavy atoms, and other topics. She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and 2018-2019 Chair of the American Physical Society Division of the Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. Learn more at https://mariannasafronova.com.