Planck's description of blackbody radiation and Einstein's quantum theory of light are arguably the historic foundation of quantum optics. Later, the development of the laser allowed for the coherent control of atoms, which is the basis of today's success of the field. The "optics" part of quantum optics therefore evolved from incoherent, broadband thermal radiation to ultra-stable and narrow-bandwidth lasers. However, the ever growing precision of quantum optics experiments is sparking new interest in describing and understanding how matter interacts with blackbody radiation.
This workshop will bring together experimentalists and theoreticians whose research is concerned with, or affected by the interaction of matter with thermal or other broadband radiation. For some, this radiation is a source of noise in their experiments (e.g. for atomic clocks or atom interferometers). Other results demonstrate that broadband radiation induces novel forces and effective interactions of matter. At the workshop we will discuss these and related topics to explore new opportunities and challenges in physics, astrophysics and cosmology.
Coming soon.