Non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics in ultracold atomic mixtures

Mellado-Munoz, Jorge ORCID: 0000-0002-9456-6026 (2021). Non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics in ultracold atomic mixtures. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis is devoted to the experimental study of non-equilibrium quantum thermodynamics. In it, I describe the design and development of a system that allowed our team to perform pioneering experiments on non-equilibrium quantum gases close to the absolute zero. Using such a system, we achieved the realization of long-lived non-equilibrium Bose-Einstein condensates with condensed fractions exceeding those of equilibrium samples with the same parameters. We achieved this by immersing an ultracold Bose gas of 87Rb in a cloud of 39K with a temperature difference of four orders of magnitude, providing a controlled source of dissipation. Then, I report the state of the current project: the implementation of a single-atom quantum engine using a single 41K atom as the working fluid and an ultracold cloud of 87Rb as the thermal bath. Lastly, I show that it is possible to realize the FrenkelKontorova model using a system of interacting Rydberg-dressed atoms placed in an optical lattice. To do so, I studied the properties of the ground states of the system and its phonon spectra for different sets of parameters by simulating the cited system.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):