Title: Waveguide QED with atomic nuclei: From EIT to collective strong coupling and beyond

Speaker: Prof. Ralf Röhlsberger

Time: 15:30, June 12（Thursday）

Location: Room 215, No. 8 Hainayuan Building

Abstract:

Accelerator-driven light sources had a profound impact on the applications of the Mössbauer effect in all natural sciences. The enormous brilliance of X-rays delivered by these sources enabled access to smallest amounts of materials under extreme conditions and allowed for studies with time resolution and polarization sensitivity that were virtually impossible in the lab. In this way it was also possible to transfer concepts of quantum optics into the regime of hard X-rays. With the advent of ever brighter sources, this research field continues to flourish.

In this talk, I will report about the X-ray emission from collectively excited ensembles of nuclei that are embedded in planar waveguide structures, contributing to the emerging field of waveguide QED [1]. This photonic environment enables one to engineer novel nuclear level schemes to realize quantum optical concepts in the regime of hard X-rays [2]. Applications range from electromagnetically induced transparency [3] and collective strong coupling [4] to novel schemes for controlling X-ray pulse propagation [5,6]. The presentation concludes with a view on opportunities in this field with future sources of X-rays.  

[1] A. S. Sheremet et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 95, 015002 (2023)

[2] R. Röhlsberger et al., Science 328, 1248 (2010)

[3] R. Röhlsberger et al., Nature 482, 199 (2012)

[4] J. Haber et al. Nature Photonics 10, 445 (2016)

[5] L. M. Lohse, P. Andrejic, Optics Express 32, 9518 (2024)

[6] P. Andrejic, L. M. Lohse, A. Palffy, Phys. Rev. A 109, 063702 (2024)

Biography:

Prof. Ralf Röhlsberger is a world-leading expert in x-ray science and nuclear quantum optics. As Full Professor at Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena and Senior Scientist at DESY Hamburg, Prof. Röhlsberger has made groundbreaking contributions to the study of magnetism, coherent x-ray phenomena, and quantum optical control of nuclei. His work has helped establish the emerging field of nuclear quantum optics, exploring how quantum-optical concepts can be extended into the hard x-ray regime through ultranarrow nuclear resonances. With a distinguished research career including over 135 publications and landmark papers in Nature, Science and PRL, Prof. Röhlsberger’s insights are shaping the frontiers of quantum technologies with nuclear transitions.