German and Israeli Physics Project Receives EUR 1.6M

A research project looking at quantum phenomena that involves the physicists Professor Ron Folman of Ben Gurion University in Beer-Sheva, Israel and Professor Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), Germany, as well as their respective teams has been granted EUR 1.6 million in support through the German-Israeli Project Cooperation (DIP) program.

This program is a joint venture of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Also participating in the five-year project are the physicists Professor Dimity Budker, Associate Professor Carsten Henkel, and Dr. Francesco Intravaia from Germany as well as Professor Yehuda Band, Professor Baruch Horovitz, and Dr. Alex Retzker of Israel.

In terms of research, the new project on "Quantum Phenomena in Hybrid Systems: Interfacing Engineered Materials and Nanostructures with Atomic Systems" is located at the interface of solid state and quantum physics.

Over the past decade, there has been major and significant progress in the field of quantum optics with regard to the quantum many-body states of atomic systems, such as cold ions, cold atoms, and nitrogen-vacancy centers, which behave like a cold atom within the structure of a diamond crystal. At the same time, the ability to control solid-state systems has increased remarkably.

The objective of the project is to undertake theoretical research and design new 21^st century technologies that would make it possible to link atomic systems and solid-state systems.