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SUMMARY:Quantum Optomechanics or The Science of Firmly Holding Stuff in Pl
 ace with Light - Dan Malz
DTSTART:20160306T162000Z
DTEND:20160306T164000Z
UID:TALK64924@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Andrew Carlotti
DESCRIPTION:I will explain how physicists manage to cool things by shining
  light at them. This has led to the creation of several fields of research
 \, of which "Quantum Optomechanics" is one. It is concerned with quantum e
 ffects when light interacts with matter. Probably the most famous quantum 
 effect is "Heisenberg's uncertainty principle" (you can't measure position
  and momentum with arbitrary accuracy)\, which will already be familiar to
  many. One of its consequences is that even at zero temperature objects st
 ill wiggle around\nLast summer saw an experimental breakthrough\, in which
  several groups managed to suppress the position variation of a beam below
  its zero-temperature value (at the expense of creating wiggles in the mom
 entum "coordinate"). The method has a startling simplicity (two laser beam
 s and two mirrors). I will explain how this works and what the promises of
  this new technology are.\nExpect to learn about some idiosyncrasies of qu
 antum mechanics and to be fascinated by how simple a system can act in ent
 irely unexpected ways (I suppose the sun has never cooled your skin down)\
 , which is the foundation for work that has led to several Nobel prizes al
 ready.
LOCATION:Winstanley Lecture Theatre
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