Quantum-gas microscopes - A new tool for cold-atom quantum simulators

This "Perspectives" paper gives a brief overview of the recent developments with quantum-gas microscopes and how they can be used to build the next generation of cold-atom quantum simulators.Comment: "Perspectives" paper for Special Issue "Cold Atom Physics" of Natl. Sci. Rev; published online April 19, 201

Single top quark measurements with CMS

Measurements of single top quark production are presented, performed using CMS data collected in 2011 and 2012 at centre-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV. The cross sections for the electroweak production of single top quarks in the t-channel and in association with W-bosons is measured and the results are used to place constraints on the CKM matrix element |V_tb|.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, conference HCP201

Frequency-Dependent Selection at Rough Expanding Fronts

Microbial colonies are experimental model systems for studying the colonization of new territory by biological species through range expansion. We study a generalization of the two-species Eden model, which incorporates local frequency-dependent selection, in order to analyze how social interactions between two species influence surface roughness of growing microbial colonies. The model includes several classical scenarios from game theory. We then concentrate on an expanding public goods game, where either cooperators or defectors take over the front depending on the system parameters. We analyze in detail the critical behavior of the nonequilibrium phase transition between global cooperation and defection and thereby identify a new universality class of phase transitions dealing with absorbing states. At the transition, the number of boundaries separating sectors decays with a novel power law in time and their superdiffusive motion crosses over from Eden scaling to a nearly ballistic regime. In parallel, the width of the front initially obeys Eden roughening and, at later times, passes over to selective roughening.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure

An objective lens for efficient fluorescence detection of single atoms

We present the design of a diffraction limited, long working distance monochromatic objective lens for efficient light collection. Consisting of four spherical lenses, it has a numerical aperture of 0.29, an effective focal length of 36 mm and a working distance of 36.5 mm. This inexpensive system allows us to detect 8*10^4 fluorescence photons per second from a single cesium atom stored in a magneto-optical trap.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, revtex4, submitted to Review of Scientific Instrument

A cavity-QED scheme for Heisenberg-limited interferometry

We propose a Ramsey interferometry experiment using an entangled state of N atoms to reach the Heisenberg limit for the estimation of an atomic phase shift if the atom number parity is perfectly determined. In a more realistic situation, due to statistical fluctuations of the atom source and the finite detection efficiency, the parity is unknown. We then achieve about half the Heisenberg limit. The scheme involves an ensemble of circular Rydberg atoms which dispersively interact successively with two initially empty microwave cavities. The scheme does not require very high-Q cavities. An experimental realization with about ten entangled Rydberg atoms is achievable with state of art apparatuses.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure