Quantum mechanics optical tests

To fully develop the photonic and material components of quantum-optical response invites the application of quantum electrodynamics (QED). The defining characteristic of this theory is that it addresses every optical interaction in terms of a closed dynamical system where light and matter are treated on an equal footing, each component addressed with full quantum-mechanical rigor. It is a theory whose predictions have been tested to a higher degree of precision... 

Fundamental Tests of Quantum Mechanics, Edward S. Fry and Thomas ffUther Wave-Particle Duality in an Atom Inter-ferometer, Stephen Durr and Gerhard Rempe Atom Holography, Fujio Shimizu Optical Dipole Traps for Neutral Atoms,... 

Our results are of a general validity in quantum mechanics and hence one may consider other artificial multibarrier structures as, for example, ultracold atomic gases in optical lattices [86] and in optical tests of quantum mechanics [96]. 

Quantum optical experiments, by which we mean the investigation of the interaction between simple quantum systems and coherent light, have proven to be a successful tool to test basic concepts in quantum mechanics. Most of the experiments to date were performed with atoms or ions in vapors, beams or traps. An attractive feature of atoms relates to their relatively simple structure which is theoretically fairly well understood. 

I tested the GAP models on a range of simple materials, based on data obtained from Density Functional Theory. I built interatomic potentials for the diamond lattices of the group IV semiconductors and I performed rigorous tests to evaluate the accuracy of the potential energy surface. These tests showed that the GAP models reproduce the quantum mechanical results in the harmonic regime, i.e. phonon spectra, elastic properties very well. In the case of diamond, I calculated properties which are determined by the anharmonic nature of the PES, such as the temperature dependence of the optical phonon frequency at the F point and the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient. Our GAP potential reproduced the values given by Density Functional Theory and experiments. 

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