Silke Ospelkaus-Schwarzer is a German experimental physicist who studies ultra-cold molecular materials at the University of Hanover Institute of Quantum Optics. She was awarded a European Research Council Consolidator Award in 2022.
Silke Ospelkaus-Schwarzer | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | University of Hamburg University of Bonn |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics JILA NIST University of Colorado Boulder University of Hanover |
| Thesis | Quantum degenerate Fermi-Bose mixtures of 40K and 87Rb in 3D-optical lattices (2007) |
Early life and education
editOspelkaus studied physics at the University of Bonn.[1][2] She moved to the University of Hamburg for her doctoral research, where she studied Fermi-Bose mixtures of potassium and rubidium in optical lattices.[3][4] She was awarded the doctoral prize of the German Physical Society.[5] She moved to the JILA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology at the University of Colorado Boulder.[2][6][7][8]
Research and career
editIn 2009, Ospelkaus returned to Germany, where she was made a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics. She investigates the behaviour of atomic and molecular gases at ultra-cold temperatures.[9] In particular, ultra-cold molecular gases offer hope to better understand chemical processes.[10][5] She has investigated two species atomic quantum gases mixtures, from which she can prepare polar molecules in a degenerate state.
By cooling hot samples of sodium and potassium, Ospelkaus is able to study exotic phenomena such as hyperfine ro-vibrational electronic interactions. She first combines Zeeman slowing with two-dimensional magneto-optical trapping, and once the atoms are cooled below the Doppler limit, loads them into a magnetic quadrupole trap.[11] At this stage, microwave evaporation cools the sodium, which results in the sympathetic cooling of potassium. At ≈ 10 μK, interactions between the sodium and magnesium become increasingly strong, and further cooling demands more sophisticated tools. These include magnetic Feshbach resonance.[11][7]
Ospelkaus has demonstrated laser cooling to study diatomic molecules.[10][12] She achieves this cooling using direct laser cooling and buffer gas cooling.[13] Ultra-cold molecules are essentially stationary, which allows for their structure-property relationships to be studied at ultra-high precision. Dense gases of these molecules exhibit quantum behaviour, which allows for investigations into superconductivity.[13]
Ospelkaus uses molecular spectroscopy to understand the quantum states of alkali metal – alkaline earth metal atomic gases.[14] In 2022, she was awarded a European Research Council consolidator grant.[15]
Selected publications
edit- K-K Ni; S Ospelkaus; M H G de Miranda; et al. (18 September 2008). "A high phase-space-density gas of polar molecules". Science. 322 (5899): 231–235. arXiv:0808.2963. doi:10.1126/SCIENCE.1163861. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 18801969. Wikidata Q33370512.
- S Ospelkaus; K-K Ni; D Wang; et al. (1 February 2010). "Quantum-state controlled chemical reactions of ultracold potassium-rubidium molecules". Science. 327 (5967): 853–857. arXiv:0912.3854. doi:10.1126/SCIENCE.1184121. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 20150499. Wikidata Q59476983.
- K-K Ni; S Ospelkaus; D Wang; et al. (1 April 2010). "Dipolar collisions of polar molecules in the quantum regime". Nature. 464 (7293): 1324–1328. arXiv:1001.2809. doi:10.1038/NATURE08953. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 20428166. Wikidata Q59058301.
References
edit- ^ "Prof. Dr. Silke Ospelkaus - AcademiaNet". www.academia-net.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ a b "Physics - Silke Ospelkaus". physics.aps.org. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ Ospelkaus-Schwarzer, Silke (2007). Quantum degenerate Fermi-Bose mixtures of 40K and 87Rb in 3D-optical lattices (Thesis). Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar: [Verlag nicht ermittelbar]. OCLC 637595058.
- ^ Ospelkaus-Schwarzer, (TYPE=name) Silke. "Quantenentartete Fermi-Bose Mischungen aus 40K und 87Rb in 3D optischen Gittern". www2.physnet.uni-hamburg.de. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ a b "Professorin Silke Ospelkaus erhält hochdotierten europäischen Forschungspreis". idw-online.de. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ "Redefining Chemistry at JILA". jila.colorado.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ a b "Cooling polar molecules". Physics World. 2009-03-18. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ "Prof. Dr. Silke Ospelkaus-Schwarzer". www.humboldt-foundation.de. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ "Prof. Dr. Silke Ospelkaus – Laboratory of Nano and Quantum Engineering". Leibniz Universität Hannover. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ a b Siercke, Mirco; Ospelkaus, Silke (2021-12-20). "A New Way to Slow Down Complex Molecules". Physics. 14: 180. Bibcode:2021PhyOJ..14..180S. doi:10.1103/Physics.14.180. S2CID 247282438.
- ^ a b "Assembly of Ultracold Molecules – Institute of Quantum Optics – Leibniz University Hannover". Leibniz Universität Hannover. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ "Molecular Quantum Gases – Institute of Quantum Optics – Leibniz University Hannover". Leibniz Universität Hannover. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ a b "Direct Laser Cooling of Molecules – Institute of Quantum Optics – Leibniz University Hannover". Leibniz Universität Hannover. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ "Molecular Spectroscopy – Institute of Quantum Optics – Leibniz University Hannover". Leibniz Universität Hannover. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ "Hochdotierte EU-Förderung: Zwei neue ERC Consolidator Grants für innovative Forschung". idw-online.de. Retrieved 2022-03-18.