Cold atoms: A field enabled by light

TL;DR

The paper reviews the development of cold atom research as a multidisciplinary field enabled by light, highlighting its applications in precision measurement, quantum gases, and atom optics as of 2015.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the state of cold atom research in 2015, emphasizing the fundamental role of light in enabling this field.

Findings

Cold atoms are crucial for quantum simulations.

Light-based cooling techniques have advanced significantly.

The field has broad applications in physics and technology.

Abstract

Besides being a source of energy, light can also cool gases of atoms down to the lowest temperatures ever measured, where atomic motion almost stops. The research field of cold atoms has emerged as a multidisciplinary one, highly relevant, e.g., for precision measurements, quantum gases, simulations of many-body physics, and atom optics. In this focus article, we present the field as seen in 2015, and emphasise the fundamental role in its development that has been played by mastering.