Safed Workshop on

Cooling and thermodynamics of quantum systems

Workshop Goal

The aim of cooling quantum systems is central to many areas of atomic and molecular physics. In the atomic physics community it has led in recent years to the production of Bose-Einstein condensates, gases with novel macroscopic properties. In the field of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, cooling is of central importance since it determines the magnitude of the polarization which determines the signal intensity. Cooling is also crucial in the area of quantum computation and quantum information, where according to most schemes the preparation of the system has to bring it to temperatures near absolute zero. New ideas for cooling quantum systems could have profound implications for many budding technologies based on quantum mechanical coherence effects. Moreover, there are many fundamental conceptual issues at the interface of quantum mechanics, thermodynamics and information theory. The aim of this meeting is to bring together experts from four different fields: atomic physics, NMR, quantum information and quantum control to explore fundamental concepts in cooling quantum systems, ultimate limitations dictated by thermodynamics and possible ways of circumventing these limitations, and applications to diverse atomic and molecular systems.

Details on the location, arrival arrangements, participants, and programme can be accessed through the menu on the left.

Tentative programme available here.