Cold Atoms and Molecules Concepts, Experiments and Applications to Fundamental Physics

A survey of the physics of ultracold atoms and molecules, taking into consideration the latest research on ultracold phenomena, such as Bose Einstein condensation and quantum computing. This textbook covers recent experimental results on atom and molecule cooling as well as the theoretical treatment.

Matthias Weidem++ller is Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Freiburg, where he holds the Chair for Atomic and Molecular Quantum Dynamics. After studying Physics in Bonn, Munich and Paris he attained his doctorate in 1995 at the Max-Planck-Institute for Quantum Optics in the research group of Prof. T.W. H+ñnsch. He spent two years as a Postdoc at the University of Amsterdam and the FOM-Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics. In 1997 he entered the Max-Planck-Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg as a senior research scientist and later became head of the 'Laser Cooling Group'. His group experimentally explores the quantum physics of ultracold atomic and molecular gases and aggregates at different levels of complexity.

Claus Zimmermann is Professor for Experimental Physics at the University of T++bingen in Germany. In 1990 he attained his doctorate at the Max-Planck Institut for Quantum Optics in Munich in the research group of Prof. T. H+ñnsch. He was appointed full Professor at the University of T++bingen in 1998. His scientific activities range from laser development, non-linear optics and precision spectroscopy to optical cooling and ultra cold quantum gases.