Masatoshi Kajita – författare

This book introduces the preparation, measurement and properties of ultra-cold atoms and molecules at a level accessible to advanced undergraduate students or for researchers approaching the subject from different specialities. Including a review of cooling techniques, the book focuses on the behaviour and applications of both ultra-cold atoms and molecules, and how they are shaping research in atomic physics, quantum optics, condensed matter physics, statistical mechanics, quantum information processing, quantum simulators and finding applications in ultra-high-precision atomic clocks and quantum metrology. Readers of this text should develop an understanding of the techniques used to cool, trap, manipulate and perform measurements on ultra-cold atoms and molecules, as well as how such systems are in being used in a range of exciting areas of modern physics.

Key Features

Provides an accessible overview for advanced undergraduate students or for researchers approaching the subject from different specialities.Extensive coverage encompassing preparation, properties and applicationsIncludes references to key papers Mathematical appendices

This book presents a comprehensive history of the precision measurement of physical values. Improvements in time and frequency measurement accuracy have been instrumental to the advancement of physics. Pivotal discoveries in the field, such as the establishment of Newtonian mechanics, have often coincided with the development of more accurate clocks. There remain many questions in modern physics whose resolution would require the measurement of effects too small for our current technology to discern. Before we can solve these mysteries, we must first achieve further reductions in measurement uncertainty.The book charts the fascinating journey from our reliance on the movements of the sun to measure time, to the most recent developments in atomic clocks, reducing measurement uncertainty to 10-18. Along the way, it considers how these advancements have contributed to our understanding of physics, and the role that further improvements will play in the field. All from undergraduate students to industry professionals will find great value in this detailed and insightful volume on the past and future of frequency precision measurements.

Measurement Science for Modern Physics presents an engaging account of how advances in measurement and instrumentation have driven the major revolutions of modern physics. From early efforts to understand the motion of the planets and the nature of light, to today's ultra-precise atomic clocks, lasers and gravitational-wave detectors, measurement science has played an essential role in the development of modern physics.Tracing the development of physics through the lens of measurement, this book shows how improved standards of time, length and mass underpinned the emergence of classical mechanics, electromagnetism, relativity and quantum theory. The book then moves to the experimental foundations of contemporary physics, exploring the principles and impact of key technologies such as atomic and optical clocks, lasers and frequency combs, interferometers, ion traps, and cryogenic systems. Tools which have enabled the detection of subtle relativistic effects, the observation of gravitational waves, the control of atoms and molecules at ultralow temperatures and the exploration of matter at extreme energies.This book demonstrates that progress in physics is inseparable from the tools used to observe, quantify and test the world around us and how expanding observational reach and reducing measurement uncertainty have repeatedly transformed our understanding of nature. It is ideal for graduate students and advanced undergraduates in physics and engineering, as well as early-career researchers and professionals seeking a coherent overview of how precision measurement continues to shape the frontiers of modern science.