2018 Laureate Profile: Professor Hanns-Christoph Nägerl
Professor Hanns-Christoph Nägerl
Administering Organisation: The University of Queensland (Currently at University of Innsbruck, Austria)
Discipline Area: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences
Fellowship project summary:
FL180100155
This project will create a molecular quantum simulator to address outstanding questions in the fields of superconductivity, superfluidity, quantum magnetism, topological quantum matter, and quantum non-equilibrium physics. This project will enable Australia to compete with other nations’ efforts to build quantum technologies that are enabled by cold atom and cold molecule physics for future needs in simulation, computing, sensing and metrology.
Australian Research Council funding: $2,815,901
About Professor Nägerl
Professor Hanns-Christoph Nägerl is a Professor of Experimental Physics from the Institute of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. He will join The University of Queensland to take up this ARC Australian Laureate Fellowship.
The winner of the 2017 Wittgenstein Prize and the 2010 Rudolf Kaiser Prize, Professor Nägerl focusses on experimental quantum many-body physics with systems of ultracold atoms and molecules. A central goal is to ‘quantum engineer’ novel states of matter using the toolbox of quantum atom optics. At temperatures in the nanokelvin range, quantum mechanics dominates the individual and collective properties of the particles, giving rise to novel phases for quantum matter and to non-trivial phase transitions between the different quantum phases.
Using advanced techniques such as laser cooling, Bose-Einstein condensation, and coherent laser control, Professor Nägerl and his research group have been investigating the properties of highly correlated many-body states that are generated when the particles are confined to periodic potentials or to lower dimensions.
Find out more about Professor Nägerl’s research by visiting his profile page on The University of Innsbruck website.
For further information about this funding scheme, please visit the Australian Laureate Fellowships scheme page on the ARC website.