Darmstadt 2008 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 6: Quanteninformation (Atome und Ionen II)

Q 6.1: Talk

Monday, March 10, 2008, 16:30–16:45, 1B

A table-top experiment on the early universe — •Hector Schmitz, Axel Friedenauer, Jan Glückert, Lutz Petersen, Steffen Kahra, Günter Leschhorn, Christian Schneider, Robert Matjesch, and Tobias Schätz — MPQ Garching

Having a look at the conditions of the early universe isn’t easy. Even state of the art accellerators are not able to create the extremely high energies gouverning the very first cosmological period in which quantum phenomena become crucial in the development of space and time.

Some details might be accessible for investigations in an analog way, namely the creation of new particle-antiparticle pairs within the violent days of the inflationary epoch of the universe. Following calculations [1,2] an analog vaccuum quantum processes that might have lead to the creation of new pairs of photons and other particles during a phase of rapid expansion should create pairs of phonons in an ion crystal if the confining potential is changed exponentially.

Here we present and discuss the realisation of this simulation in a linear Paul trap. A single ion is cooled via sideband cooling down to the motional ground state – mimicing the ground state of the vaccuum. Then the confining potential is lowered slowly. While the potential raises nonadiabatically back to its initial strength, pairs of phonons will show up, whose signature is discriminated form heating processes.

[1] R. Schützhold, T. Schätz et. al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 201301 (2007)

[2] "Quantum quirk may reveal early universe", New Scientist 2607, p. 11 (2007)