Eric A. Cornell

In my research I focus on the properties of ultra-cold atomic gases. My group has used laser-cooling and magnetic-trapping techniques to cool samples of rubidium vapor through the transition temperature for Bose Einstein condensation (BEC), well under a microkelvin. The individual atoms in a BEC all share exactly the same quantum wavefunction and their behavior exhibits a coherent nature very analogous to that of photons in a laser beam. BEC is a superfluid and the viscosity and topological properties of the gas can be counter-intuitive. The emphasis in my group has begun to shift towards exploring applications of BEC. In particular, Bose condensates may prove to be exquisitely sensitive probes of gravitational fields, of rotation, and possibly of exotic short-range forces.