We are an experimental atomic physics laboratory.
Over the past few decades, advances in laser physics (and other fields) have transformed atomic physics laboratories into rich playgrounds for exploring the quantum world. In the Fujiwara Lab, we use ultracold atoms—neutral atoms cooled to billionths of a degree above absolute zero—as highly tunable quantum systems. By placing these atoms in synthetic crystals made of laser light, known as optical lattices, we can recreate and study the behavior of complex materials found in condensed matter physics.
This experimental approach, known as quantum simulation, allows us to probe how strongly interacting quantum systems behave—especially in regimes where conventional materials or classical computers cannot easily reach. Our group aims to explore how quantum matter evolves, thermalizes, or sometimes fails to reach equilibrium, revealing new forms of order and dynamics that only emerge in far-from-equilibrium quantum systems.
Our particular experimental platform uses ultracold rubidium-87, potassium-40, and potassium-39, which are particularly amenable for these experiments.
Through these experiments, we hope to shed light on fundamental questions in condensed matter physics while training the next generation of experimental physicists as responsible citizens of our world.
Our laboratory space is currently under renovation and we are looking for talented, motivated, and conscientious scientists to come join us.
