Stanford University Departments of Physics & Applied Physics and the Ginzton Laboratory and QFARM Initiative
Our group has pioneered the creation and study of Bose and Fermi-degenerate gases of dysprosium, the most magnetic element. In our experiments, we exploit the long-range and anisotropic character of the dipole-dipole interaction among Dy atoms to create novel testbeds for quantum many-body physics, both within and away from equilibrium. For example, we recently made a quantum and magnetic version of the famous Newton's cradle toy. We used it to explore the breakdown of quantum integrability and the onset of thermalization in a strongly interacting quantum 1D system. We've also used a new topological pumping scheme---that works like an Archimedes screw---to drive the 1D gas to highly excited "quantum many-body scar" states. We will now aim to explore these prethermal states and others using the coupling of the gas to photons in our new confocal cavity QED system.
News
We observe a novel quantum many-body phenominon in quench compressed scar states. Published in…
We report the first measurements of the rapidity and momentum distributions of equilibrium dipolar…
Watch here for Prof. Benjamin Lev's VAMOS seminar talk on "Topological pumping of a 1D dipolar gas…
LevLab has created a quantum Archimedes' screw. See paper published in Science
From Stanford News…
New theory paper in PRL shows how to use photon-mediated interactions in a multimode optical cavity…
We have created novel quantum many-body scar states by topologically pumping a 1D dipolar Bose gas…
Published in Phys. Rev X. New work on thermalization in near-integrable system. See popular press:…
Collisions of Dy BECs yield halos of dipolar scattered atoms. See movie made by Andrew Sykes. See…
APS Physics Viewpoint on quantum flucuations in imploding dipolar condensates.
We created the first spin-orbit-coupled dipolar Fermi gas with Dy! Read about it in PRX here.
We report Bose-Einstein condensation of two isotopes of the highly magnetic element dysprosium:…
We observe the suppression of inelastic dipolar scattering due to Fermi statistics in ultracold…
Congratulations to Mingwu! Dr. Mingwu Lu defended his thesis June 2014 and is now a postdoc with…
We report in this Phys. Rev. A Rapid paper (arXiv) the observation of resonance-like loss in the…
Lev and theory collaborators publish paper in PRA Rapid Communications on creating synthetic gauge…
PRL announcing world's first dipolar Dy DFG selected as Editors' Suggestion, and featured in…
Two dysprosium papers published in PRA fall 2010. Papers detail Dy MOT physics and a novel sub-…
Dy MOT and magnetic trap collisions paper published in Phys. Rev. Lett. Research highlight in…
Announcing the world's first Dysprosium magneto-optical trap (MOT)! News bulletin
Team Members
Publications
K. Yang, Y. Zhang, K.-Y. Li, K. -Y. Lin, S. Gopalakrishnan, M. Rigol, and B. L. Lev
Phantom energy of a quenched, prethermal quantum many-body scar state
Science 385, 1063 (2024)
arXiv:2308.11615
K.-Y. Li, Y. Zhang, K. Yang, K.-Y. Lin, S. Gopalakrishnan, M. Rigol, and B. L. Lev
Rapidity and momentum distributions of one-dimensional dipolar quantum gases
Physical Review A 107, L061302 (2023). pdf
Selected as a Letter and Editors' Suggestion
arXiv:2211.09118
Review article: Dipolar physics with atomic quantum gases
L. Chomaz, I. Ferrier-Barbut, F. Ferlaino, B. Laburthe-Tolra, B. L. Lev, and T. Pfau
Reports on Progress in Physics 86, 026401 (2023). pdf
arXiv:2201:02672
W. Kao, K.-Y. Li, K.-Y. Lin, S. Gopalakrishnan, and B. L. Lev
Topological pumping of a 1D dipolar gas into strongly correlated prethermal states
Science 371, 296 (2021). pdf & SM
News coverage:
Stanford News: Stanford physicists find new state of matter in a one-dimensional quantum gas pdf
APS DAMOP Highlight: The Turn of the Screw
arXiv:2002.10475 pdf
Y. Tang, W. Kao, K.-Y. Li, S. Seo, K. Mallayya, M. Rigol, S. Gopalakrishnan, and B. L. Lev
Thermalization near integrability in a dipolar quantum Newton's cradle
Physical Review X 8, 021030 (2018).
See Editors' Choice Watching magnetic atoms thermalize in Science
See News: Quantum Physics A tiny version of this physics toy is revealing quantum secrets in ScienceNews
See Synopsis Pathway to Quantum Thermalization in APS Physics
See Research Highlight Towards thermalization in Nature Physics
See Article Toy inspires experiment on behavior of quantum systems in Stanford News
arXiv:1707.07031 pdf
Y. Tang, W. Kao, K.-Y. Li, and B. L. Lev
Tuning the dipole-dipole interaction in a quantum gas with a rotating magnetic field
Physical Review Letters 120, 230401 (2018).
arXiv:1803.10867 (2018). pdf
W. Kao, Y. Tang, N. Burdick, and B. L. Lev
Anisotropic dependence of tune-out wavelength near Dy 741-nm transition
Optics Express 25, 3411 (2017). pdf
arXiv:1609.02111
N. Q. Burdick, A. G. Sykes, Y. Tang, and B. L. Lev
Anisotropic collisions of dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates in the universal regime
New Journal of Physics 18, 113004 (2016). pdf
See accompanying Perspective "Smashing Magnets" by Igor Ferrier-Barbut. pdf
arXiv:1607.06743
Y. Tang, A. G. Sykes, N. Q. Burdick, J. M. DiSciacca, D. S. Petrov, and B. L. Lev
Anisotropic expansion of a thermal dipolar Bose gas
Physical Review Letters 117, 155301 (2016). pdf
arXiv:1606.08856
L. D. Carr and B. L. Lev
Viewpoint: An Arrested Implosion
APS Physics 9, 55 (2016). pdf
N. Q. Burdick, Y. Tang, and B. L. Lev
A long-lived spin-orbit-coupled dipolar Fermi gas
Physical Review X 6, 031022 (2016). pdf
arXiv:1605.03211
Y. Tang, A. Sykes, N. Burdick, J. Bohn, and B. L. Lev
s-wave scattering lengths of the strongly dipolar bosons 162Dy and 164Dy
Physical Review A 92, 022703 (2015). pdf
arXiv:1506.03393
Erratum: Physical Review A 93, 059905(E) (2016). pdf
N. Y. Yao, S. D. Bennett, C. R. Laumann, B. L. Lev, and A. V. Gorshkov
Bilayer fractional quantum Hall states with dipoles
Physical Review A 92, 033609 (2015). pdf
arXiv:1505.03099
Y. Tang, N. Burdick, K. Baumann, and B. L. Lev
Bose-Einstein condensation of 162Dy and 160Dy
New Journal of Physics 17, 045006 (2015). pdf
Special Issue: Focus on New Frontiers of Cold Molecules Research
arXiv:1411.3069
N. Q. Burdick, K. Baumann, Y. Tang, M. Lu, and B. L. Lev
Fermionic suppression of dipolar relaxation
Physical Review Letters 114, 023201 (2015). pdf
arXiv:1407.3842
K. Baumann, N. Q. Burdick, M. Lu, and B. L. Lev
Observation of low-field Fano-Feshbach resonances in ultracold gases of dysprosium
Physical Review A, Rapid Communications, 89, 020701(R) (2014). pdf
arXiv:1312.6401
X. Cui, B. Lian, T.-L. Ho, B. L. Lev, and H. Zhai
Synthetic gauge field with highly magnetic lanthanide atoms
Physical Review A, Rapid Communications 88, 011601(R) (2013).
arXiv:1303.6004; pdf
M. Lu, N. Q. Burdick, and B. L. Lev
Quantum Degenerate Dipolar Fermi Gas
Physical Review Letters 108, 215301 (2012).
Selected as Editors' Suggestion and featured in Physics Viewpoint
arXiv:1202:4444; pdf
M. Hafezi, Z. Kim, S. Rolston, L. Orozco, B. L. Lev, and J. Taylor
An atomic interface between microwave and optical photons
Physical Review A, Rapid communications 85, 020302(R) (2012). pdf
M. Lu, N. Q. Burdick, S.-H. Youn, and B. L. Lev
Strongly Dipolar Bose-Einstein Condensate of Dysprosium
Physical Review Letters 107, 190401 (2011).
arXiv:1108.5993; pdf
M. Lu, S.-H. Youn, and B. L. Lev
Spectroscopy of a narrow-line laser cooling transition in atomic dysprosium
Physical Review A 83, 012510 (2011).
arXiv:1009.2962; pdf
S.-H. Youn, M. Lu, U. Ray, and B. L. Lev
Dysprosium magneto-optical traps
Physical Review A 82, 043425 (2010). pdf
S.-H. Youn, M. Lu, and B. L. Lev
Anisotropic sub-Doppler laser cooling in dysprosium magneto-optical traps
Physical Review A 82, 043403 (2010). pdf
M. Lu, S.-H. Youn, and B. L. Lev
Trapping ultracold dysprosium: A highly magnetic gas for dipolar physics
Physical Review Letters 104, 063001 (2010). pdf
Nature Research Highlights article “Dazzling dysprosium,” February 25th, 2010.
PhysicsWorld.com news report “Ultracold magnetic atoms bode well for quantum studies,” February 18th, 2010.
S. Kobtsev, B. Lev, J. Fortagh, and V. Baraulia
Powerful narrow-line source of blue light for laser cooling Yb/Er and Dysprosium atoms
Proc. of SPIE 7578, 75782F-1 (2010). pdf
B. Fregoso, K. Sun, E. Fradkin, and B. L. Lev
Biaxial nematic phases in ultracold dipolar Fermi gases
New Journal of Physics 11, 103003 (2009). pdf