Abstract
Strong quantum correlations in matter are responsible for some of the most extraordinary properties of materials, from magnetism to high-temperature superconductivity, but their integration in quantum devices requires a strong, coherent coupling with photons, which still represents a formidable technical challenge in solid state systems. In cavity quantum electrodynamics, quantum gases such as Bose-Einstein condensates or lattice gases have been strongly coupled with light. However, neither Fermionic quantum matter, comparable to electrons in solids, nor atomic systems with controlled interactions, have thus far been strongly coupled with photons. Here we report on the strong coupling of a quantum-degenerate unitary Fermi gas with light in a high finesse cavity. We map out the spectrum of the coupled system and observe well resolved dressed states, resulting from the strong coupling of cavity photons with each spin component of the gas. We investigate spin-balanced and spin-polarized gases and find quantitative agreement with ab initio calculation describing light-matter interaction. Our system offers complete and simultaneous control of atom-atom and atom-photon interactions in the quantum degenerate regime, opening a wide range of perspectives for quantum simulation.
Highlights
Strong quantum correlations in matter are responsible for some of the most extraordinary properties of materials, from magnetism to high-temperature superconductivity, but their integration in quantum devices requires a strong, coherent coupling with photons, which still represents a formidable technical challenge in solid state systems
Strong coupling to light would be highly beneficial for the quantum simulation of interacting Fermions, which display extraordinary properties[3,4] but where first-principles theoretical calculations are inherently difficult[5]
Recent theoretical work in both cold atoms and solid state systems suggests that strong coupling would make the realization and control of new quantum states of matter[6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14] possible, as well as high-precision, quantum-limited measurements[15]
Summary
Strong quantum correlations in matter are responsible for some of the most extraordinary properties of materials, from magnetism to high-temperature superconductivity, but their integration in quantum devices requires a strong, coherent coupling with photons, which still represents a formidable technical challenge in solid state systems. Neither Fermionic quantum matter, comparable to electrons in solids, nor atomic systems with controlled interactions, have far been strongly coupled with photons. We report on a unitary Fermi gas in a high-finesse cavity, demonstrating simultaneously the strongest atom–atom interactions and strong light-matter coupling. We measure the transmission spectrum of the coupled Fermi gascavity system, and observe the emergence of well resolved dressed states and their coherent scaling with atom number, demonstrating strong light-matter coupling. Both features are reproduced by an ab initio calculation accounting for light-matter interactions and several modes of the cavity
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