We study the expansion velocity and ion temperature evolution of ultracold neutral plasmas (UNPs) of calcium atoms under the influence of a uniform magnetic field that ranges up to 200 G. In the experiments, we use a magneto-optical trap (MOT) to capture the neutral atoms and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) to take images of the plasma. We vary the magnetic field strengths and the initial electron temperatures and observe the plasma evolution in time. We compare the ion temperature evolution to the theory introduced in the paper by Pohl et. al. [Phys. Rev. A 70, 033416 (2004)]. The evolution of the gradient of expansion velocity suggests the presence of ion acoustic waves (IAWs). We speculate that our measurements showing that the ion temperature remains relatively high throughout the evolution is a biproduct of the IAW.

The physics of ultracold quantum gases has been the subject of a long-lasting and intense research activity, which started almost a century ago with purely theoretical studies and had a fluorishing experimental development after the implementation of laser and evaporative cooling techniques that led to the first realization of a Bose Einstein condensate (BEC) over 25 years ago. In recent years, a great interest in ultracold atoms has developed for their use as platforms for quantum technologies, given the high degree of control and tunability offered by ultracold atom systems. These features make ultracold atoms an ideal test bench for simulating and studying experimentally, in a controlled environment, physical phenomena analogous to those occurring in other, more complicated, or even inaccessible systems, which is the idea at the heart of quantum simulation. In the rapidly developing field of quantum technologies, it is highly important to acquire an in-depth understanding of the state of the quantum many-body system that is used, and of the processes needed to reach the desired state. The preparation of the system in a given target state often involves the crossing of second order phase transitions, bringing the system strongly out-of-equilibrium. A better understanding of the out-of-equilibrium processes occurring in the vicinity of the transition, and of the relaxation dynamics towards the final equilibrium condition, is crucial in order to produce well-controlled quantum states in an efficient way. In this thesis I present the results of the research activity that I performed during my PhD at the BEC1 laboratory of the BEC center, working on ultracold gases of 23Na atoms in an elongated harmonic trap. This work had two main goals: the accurate determination of the equilibrium properties of a Bose gas at finite temperature, by the measurement of its equation of state, and the investigation of the out-of-equilibrium dynamics occurring when a Bose Einstein condensate is prepared by cooling a thermal cloud at a finite rate across the BEC phase transition.To study the equilibrium physics of a trapped atomic cloud, it is crucial to be able to observe its density distribution in situ. This requires a high optical resolution to accurately obtain the density profile of the atomic distribution, from which thermodynamic quantities can then be extracted. In particular, in a partially condensed atomic cloud at finite temperature, it is challenging to resolve well also the boundaries of the BEC, where the condensate fraction rapidly drops in a narrow spatial region. This required an upgrade of the experimental apparatus in order to obtain a high enough resolution. I designed, tested and implemented in the experimental setup new imaging systems for all main directions of view. Particular attention was paid for the vertical imaging system, which was designed to image the condensates in trap with a resolution below 2 μm, with about a factor 4 improvement compared to the previous setup. The implementation of the new imaging systems involved a partial rebuilding of the experimental apparatus used for cooling the atoms. This created the occasion for an optimization of the whole system to obtain more stable working conditions. Concurrently I also realized and included in the experiment an optical setup for the use of a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) to project time-dependent arbitrary light patterns on the atoms, creating optical potentials that can be controlled at will. The use of this device opens up exciting future scenarios where it will be possible to locally modify the trapping potential and to create well-controlled barriers moving through the atomic cloud. Another challenge in imaging the density distribution in situ is determined by the fact that the maximum optical density (OD) of the BEC, in the trap center, exceeds the low OD of the thermal tails by several orders of magnitude. In order to obtain an accurate image of the whole density profile, we developed a minimally destructive, multi-shot imaging technique, based on the partial transfer of a fraction of atoms to an auxiliary state, which is then probed. Taking multiple images at different extraction fractions, we are able to reconstruct the whole density profile of the atomic cloud avoiding saturation and maintaining a good signal to noise ratio. This technique, together with the improvements in the imaging resolution, has allowed us to accurately obtain the optical density profile of the Bose gas in trap, from which the 3D density profile was then calculated applying an inverse Abel transform, taking advantage of the symmetry of the trap. From images of the same cloud after a time-of-flight expansion, we measured the temperature of the gas. From these quantities we could find the pressure as a function of the density and temperature, determining the canonical equation of state of the weakly interacting Bose gas in equilibrium at finite temperature. These measurements also allowed us to clearly observe the non-monotonic temperature behavior of the chemical potential near the critical point for the phase transition, a feature that characterizes also other superfluid systems, but that had never been observed before in weakly interacting Bose gases. The second part of this thesis work is devoted to the study of the dynamical processes that occur during the formation of the BEC order parameter within a thermal cloud. The cooling at finite rate across the Bose-Einstein condensation transition brings the system in a strongly out-of-equilibrium state, which is worth investigating, together with the subsequent relaxation towards an equilibrium state. This is of interest also in view of achieving a better understanding of second order phase transitions in general, since such phenomena are ubiquitous in nature and relevant also in other platforms for quantum technologies. A milestone result in the study of second order phase transitions is given by the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, which provides a simple model capturing important aspects of the evolution of a system that crosses a second-order phase transition at finite rate. It is based on the principle that in an extended system the symmetry breaking associated with a continuous phase transition can take place only locally. This causes the formation of causally disconnected domains of the order parameter, at the boundaries of which topological defects can form, whose number and size scale with the rate at which the transition is crossed, following a universal power law. It was originally developed in the context of cosmology, but was later successfully tested in a variety of systems, including superfluid helium, superconductors, trapped ions and ultracold atoms. The BEC phase transition represents in this context a paradigmatic test-bench, given the high degree of control at which this second-order phase transition can be crossed by means of cooling ramps at different rates. Already early experiments investigated the formation of the BEC order parameter within a thermal cloud, after quasi-instantaneous temperature quenches or very slow evaporative cooling. In the framework of directly testing the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, further experiments were performed, both in 2D and 3D systems, focusing on the emergence of coherence and on the statistics of the spontaneously generated topological defects as a function of the cooling rate. The Kibble-Zurek mechanism, however, does not fully describe the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of the system at the transition, nor the post-quench interaction mechanisms between domains that lead to coarse-graining. Most theoretical models are based on a direct linear variation of a single control parameter, e.g. the temperature, across the transition. In real experiments, the cooling process is controlled by the tuning of other experimental parameters and a global temperature might not even be well defined, in a thermodynamic sense, during the whole process. Moreover, the temperature variation is usually accompanied by the variation of other quantities, such as the number of atoms and the collisional rate, making it difficult to accurately describe the system and predict the post-quench properties. Recent works included effects going beyond the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, such as the inhomogeneity introduced by the trapping potential, the role of atom number losses, and the saturation of the number of defects for high cooling rates. These works motivate further studies, in particular of the dynamics taking place at early times, close to the crossing of the critical point. The aim of the work presented in this thesis is to further investigate the timescales associated to the formation and evolution of the BEC order parameter and its spatial fluctuations, as a function of the rate at which the transition point is crossed. We performed experiments producing BECs by means of cooling protocols that are commonly used in cold-atom laboratories, involving evaporative cooling in a magnetic trap. We explored a wide range of cooling rates across the transition and found a universal scaling for the growth of the BEC order parameter with the cooling rate and a finite delay in its formation. The latter was already observed in earlier works, but for a much more limited range of cooling rates. The evolution of the fluctuations of the order parameter was also investigated, with an analysis of the timescale of their decay during the relaxation of the system, from an initial strongly out-of-equilibrium condition to a final equilibrium state. This thesis is structured as follows: The first chapter presents the theoretical background, starting with a brief introduction to the concept of Bose Einstein condensation and a presentation of different models describing the thermodynamics of an equilibrium Bose gas. The second part of this chapter then deals with the out-of-equilibrium dynamics that is inevitably involved in the crossing of a second-order phase transition such as the one for Bose-Einstein condensation. The Kibble-Zurek mechanism is briefly reviewed and beyond KZ effects are pointed out, motivating a more detailed investigation of the timescales involved in the BEC formation. In the second chapter, I describe the experimental apparatus that we use to cool and confine the atoms. Particular detail is dedicated to the parts that have been upgraded during my PhD, such as the imaging system. In the third chapter I show our experimental results on the measurement of the equation of state of the weakly interacting uniform Bose gas at finite temperature. In the fourth chapter I present our results on the out-of-equilibrium dynamics in the formation of the condensate order parameter and its spatial fluctuations, as a function of different cooling rates.

This thesis covers most of my work in the field of ultracold atoms loaded in optical lattices. This thesis can be divided into five different parts. In Chapter 1, after a brief introduction to the field of optical lattices I review the fundamental aspects pertaining to the physics of systems in periodic potentials and a short overview of the experiments on ultracold atoms in an optical lattice. In Chapter 2 we develop an inhomogeneous mean-field theory for the extended Bose-Hubbard model with a quadratic, confining potential. In the absence of this poten¬tial, our mean-field theory yields the phase diagram of the homogeneous extended Bose-Hubbard model. This phase diagram shows a superfluid (SF) phase and lobes of Mott-insulator(MI), density-wave(DW), and supersolid (SS) phases in the plane of the chemical potential and on-site repulsion ; we present phase diagrams for representative values of , the repulsive energy for bosons on nearest-neighbor sites. We demonstrate that, when the confining potential is present, superfluid and density-wave order parameters are nonuniform; in particular, we obtain, for a few representative values of parameters, spherical shells of SF, MI ,DW ,and SSphases. We explore the implications of our study for experiments on cold-atom dipolar con¬densates in optical lattices in a confining potential. In Chapter3 we present an extensive study of Mottinsulator( MI) and superfluid (SF) shells in Bose-Hubbard (BH) models for bosons in optical lattices with har¬monic traps. For this we develop an inhomogeneous mean-field theory. Our results for the BH model with one type of spinless bosons agrees quantitatively with quan¬tum Monte Carlo(QMC) simulations. Our approach is numerically less intensive than such simulations, so we are able to perform calculations on experimentally realistic, large three-dimensional(3D) systems, explore a wide range of parameter values, and make direct contact with a variety of experimental measurements. We also generalize our inhomogeneous mean-field theory to study BH models with har¬monic traps and(a) two species of bosons or(b) spin-1bosons. With two species of bosons we obtain rich phase diagrams with a variety of SF and MI phases and as¬sociated shells, when we include a quadratic confining potential. For the spin-1BH model we show, in a representative case, that the system can display alternating shells of polar SF and MI phases; and we make interesting predictions for experi¬ments in such systems. . In Chapter 4 we carry out an extensive study of the phase diagrams of the ex-tended Bose Hubbard model, with a mean filling of one boson per site, in one dimension by using the density matrix renormalization group and show that it contains Superfluid (SF), Mott-insulator (MI), density-wave (DW) and Haldane ¬insulator(HI) phases. We show that the critical exponents and central charge for the HI-DW,MI-HI and SF-MI transitions are consistent with those for models in the two-dimensional Ising, Gaussian, and Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) uni¬versality classes, respectively; and we suggest that the SF-HI transition may be more exotic than a simple BKT transition. We show explicitly that different bound¬ary conditions lead to different phase diagrams.. In Chapter 5 we obtain the excitation spectra of the following three generalized of Bose-Hubbard(BH) models:(1) a two-species generalization of the spinless BH model, (2) a single-species, spin-1 BH model, and (3) the extended Bose-Hubbard model (EBH) for spinless interacting bosons of one species. In all the phases of these models we show how to obtain excitation spectra by using the random phase approximation (RPA). We compare the results of our work with earlier studies of related models and discuss implications for experiments.

Cette thèse, motivée par le développement récent des techniques d’obtention de molécules froides, présente une étude théorique assez complète du système collisionnel ionique 3,4He + N2+. La relaxation rotationnelle de l’ion moléculaire a été décrite dans les régimes froid et ultrafroid, pour lesquels l’interaction spin-rotation du radical paramagnétique joue un rôle crucial. L’apparition de nouvelles résonances spécifiques de cette interaction a été analysée. Un autre phénomène directement lié à cette interaction, celui de la réorientation du moment magnétique associé au spin électronique du diatome induite par collision avec l’hélium, a été étudié d’abord en l’absence puis en présence d’un champ magnétique externe. Les mêmes méthodes de dynamique quantique inélastique ont été utilisées pour l’étude de la collision H2 + HF d’intérêt astrochimique. / Abstract

Le travail théorique présenté dans cette thèse concerne la formation de molécules ultra-froides bialcalines et le contrôle de leurs degrés de liberté externes et internes. Cette étude est motivée par les nombreuses expériences en cours visant à l'obtention d'un gaz quantique dégénéré de molécules dans leur état fondamental absolu. Le schéma de formation étudié repose sur le processus de transfert adiabatique stimulé (STIRAP) réalisé en présence d'un potentiel optique de piégeage (réseau optique) des atomes et des molécules.Nous avons déterminé les paramètres du réseau optique (intensité et fréquence du champ laser) qui permettent de piéger efficacement des dimères d'alcalins en évaluant la polarisabilité dynamique acquise par les molécules soumises à un champ externe. Ces calculs reposent en particulier sur la connaissance détaillée de la structure électronique des molécules. Nous avons identifié des plages de longueur d'ondes dites « magiques » où la polarisabilité est la même pour chaque niveau peuplé au cours du transfert adiabatique, permettant ainsi un transfert optimal. Ce formalisme nous a également permis d'obtenir les coefficients Van der Waals de l'interaction à longue portée nécessaires pour étudier les taux de collisions entre molécules.Nous avons réalisé une étude plus détaillée de la molécule RbCs. En étudiant précisément la probabilité de transition de la molécule vers un niveau excité, nous avons proposé un schéma STIRAP pour transférer des molécules de RbCs, initialement dans un niveau vibrationnel excité, vers leur état rovibrationnel fondamental.Ces travaux ont montré l'importance de la connaissance précise de la structure hyperfine de l'état électronique moléculaire excité pour réaliser un gaz dégénéré de molécules dans un état quantique bien défini. Un modèle asymptotique nous a permis d'obtenir une première estimation de la structure hyperfine des courbes d'énergies potentielles des premiers états moléculaires excités des molécules Cs2 et RbCs. / The theoretical work presented in this thesis is focused on the formation of ultracold bialcaline molecules and on the control of their external and internal degrees of freedom. This study is motivated by the increasing number of experiments aiming at obtaining a quantum degenerate gas of molecules in their absolute ground state. The formation scheme we worked on is based on the Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage (STIRAP) technique operated while molecules are trapped inside an optical lattice.We have determined the parameters of the optical lattice (intensity and wavelength of the laser) that allow for an efficient trapping of the alkali dimers by evaluating the dynamic polarizability of molecules in the presence of an external field. Such calculations require the accurate knowledge of the electronic structure of the molecules. We have identified the so-called ``magic'' wavelength for which all levels populated during the STIRAP sequence have the same polarizability, thus ensuring an optimal transfer. The same approach has also been used to compute the strength of the long-range interaction between polar bialkali molecules needed to evaluate collision rates.The particular case of the RbCs molecule has been investigated. We have selected a radiative transition allowing for an efficient STIRAP scheme yielding molecules in their rovibrational ground state. These works have raised the need for the precise knowledge of the hyperfine structure of the excited electronic molecular state involved in the STIRAP scheme. We have developed an asymptotic model to obtain a first estimate of the hyperfine structure for the potential curves of the lowest excited states of Cs2 and RbCs.

Ce mémoire s’inscrit dans le cadre des recherches sur les molécules ultra-froides, en forte expansion depuis plusieurs années. Contrairement aux atomes, les molécules ne peuvent que très difficilement être refroidies par laser. Il est donc nécessaire d’explorer des méthodes alternatives pour parvenir à la création de gaz moléculaires ultra-froids. Ce travail théorique s’est focalisé sur une classe particulière de molécules diatomiques hétéronucléaires, présentant un moment dipolaire électrique ou magnétique intrinsèque à l’origine de leurs interactions mutuelles anisotropes.Sur la base de la connaissance précise de la spectroscopie des molécules KRb et KCs (présentant un moment dipolaire électrique intrinsèque notable), combinée à des résultats théoriques, nous avons modélisé le refroidissement de leurs degrés de liberté internes au moyen du passage adiabatique Raman stimulé (STIRAP), processus laser conduisant les molécules dans leur état fondamental absolu. Plusieurs schémas STIRAP ont été discutés et comparés entre eux du point de vue de leur efficacité.Nous avons ensuite étudié la molécule RbCa, dont la spectroscopie est encore inconnue. Cette espèce est caractérisée par la présence conjointe d’un moment dipolaire électrique et magnétique permanent, qui présente un fort intérêt pour les possibilités de contrôle des interactions anisotropes qu’ils engendrent. Nous avons déterminé la structure électronique de RbCa par deux méthodes différentes de chimie quantique, permettant ainsi de qualifier la précision des résultats. Nous avons aussi proposé un schéma de transitions laser conduisant à la formation de molécules froides de RbCa à partir des atomes séparés.La manipulation et le piégeage de molécules repose sur la connaissance de leur réponse à un champ électromagnétique externe, caractérisée par leur polarisabilité dipolaire dynamique. Les calculs de chimie quantique entrepris plus haut nous ayant permis d’accéder à des états moléculaires très excités, nous avons déterminé cette quantité pour toute une série de molécules diatomiques (dimères alcalins, RbCa, RbSr,…). Nous avons ainsi pu déterminer les paramètres optimaux pour le piégeage laser de ces molécules. / This thesis deals with ultracold molecules research, which interest has been growing for several years. Unlike atoms, laser-cooling molecules is very difficult. Alternative methods are necessary to be searched for in order to create ultracold molecular gases. This theoretical work focuses on a particular type of heteronuclear diatomic molecules, possessing an intrinsic electric or magnetic dipole moment, from which originates their mutual anisotropic interactions.Based on the precise knowledge of KRb and KCs molecules (possessing a significant intrinsic electric dipole moment) spectroscopy, combined with theoretical results, the cooling of their internal degrees of freedom using Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage (STIRAP), a laser process bringing molecules towards their absolute ground state, has been modelled. Several STIRAP schemes have been investigated and compared regarding their efficiency. The RbCa molecule has then been studied, which spectroscopy is still unknown. The ability of controlling the anisotropic interactions induced by the simultaneous presence of an electric and magnetic dipole moment provided by this species is a clear advantage. The electronic structure of RbCa has been computed with two methods, thus allowing to estimate the reliability of the results. A scheme of laser transitions bringing to the formation of cold RbCa molecules from separate atoms has been proposed.Manipulating and trapping molecules relies on the precise knowledge of their response to an external electromagnetic field, characterised by their dynamic dipolar polarisability. The quantum chemistry calculations mentioned earlier allowed us to compute high-lying excited states, dynamic polarisability has then been computed for a whole set of diatomic molecules (alkali dimers, RbCa, RbSr, …). The optimal parameters for trapping those molecules has then been determined.

Submitted by Maike Costa (maiksebas@gmail.com) on 2016-03-15T12:16:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 5169144 bytes, checksum: 66d534e3f0c0c59bf5d35a45290fa390 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T12:16:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 5169144 bytes, checksum: 66d534e3f0c0c59bf5d35a45290fa390 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / In this thesis, we propose an experimental setup for the study of Landau quantization and associated effects in a two-dimensional ultracold atomic gas. Gauge fields can emerge in the equation of motion for the optically addressed ultracold atoms. To this end, spatially dependent dark states are necessary for the internal states of the atoms. A tripod level scheme yields two degenerate dark states which can leads to either an Abelian U(1) U(1) gauge field or a non-Abelian SU(2) gauge field. Using a suitable laser configuration, we obtain a uniform U(1) U(1) magnetic field which causes the atoms organize themselves in Landau levels. The strength of the effective magnetic field depends on the relative intensity of the lasers beams at the atomic cloud. We estimate the degeneracy of the energy levels for an atomic gas formed by atoms of 87Rb. In addition, we establish the experimental conditions to reach the lowest Landau level regime. In the zero-temperature limit, we realize the emergence of magnetic oscillations in the atomic energy and its derivative as function of the inverse of the effective magnetic field (de Haas van Alphen effect). The period of the de Haas van Alphen oscillation allow us to determine area of the Fermi circle for the atomic gas via an Onsager-like relation. We also show that detuning the a laser from the two-photon resonance we generate a parabolic scalar potential that laterally confines the atoms. As a consequence, the Landau levels degeneracy is removed, since the energy spectrum depends explicitly on the transverse atomic momentum. We show that the Landau levels presents a reminiscent degeneracy when the boundaries conditions are considered. The residual degeneracy occurs when different energy levels overlap. We map the residual degeneracy points as a function of the effective magnetic field. Finally, we present an experimental scheme for observing the spin Hall effect for ultracold atoms in a tripod configuration. / Nesta tese, propomos um arranjo experimental para o estudo da quantização de Landau e efeitos associados em um gás atômico ultrafrio bidimensional. Campos de calibre podem surgir na equação de movimento para átomos ultrafrios oticamente vestidos. Para que isto ocorra, estados escuros espacialmente dependentes são necessários a partir dos estados internos dos átomos. Átomos numa configuração de níveis de energia do tipo tripod produzem dois estados escuros degenerados, que podem levar a campos de calibre Abelianos U(1) U(1) ou não-Abelianos SU(2). Utilizando uma configuração adequada de lasers, mostramos que é possível se produzir um campo magnético sintético uniforme U(1) U(1) que atua nos átomos neutros fazendo-os se organizarem em níveis de Landau. A intensidade do campo efetivo depende da intensidade relativa dos feixes de luz na nuvem atômica. Estimamos a degenerescência dos níveis de energia para um gás atômico formado por átomos de 87Rb e estabelecemos as condições experimentais para que seja atingido o regime em que todos os átomos populam unicamente o nível de Landau menos energético. Considerando o limite de temperatura nula, verificamos o surgimento de oscilações magnéticas na energia e em sua derivada como uma função do inverso do campo magnético efetivo (efeito de Haas van Alphen). O período da oscilação magnética nos permite determinar a área do círculo de Fermi para o gás atômico através de uma expressão similar a de Onsager para sistemas eletrônicos. Mostramos também que dessintonizando um dos lasers em relação à ressonância de dois fótons geramos um potencial escalar parabólico que faz com os átomos sejam lateralmente confinados. Isto resulta na remoção da degenerescência dos níveis de Landau, uma vez que a energia depende explicitamente do momento atômico transverso. Demonstramos que, aplicando condições periódicas de contorno ao sistema, temos o surgimento de uma degenerescência residual. A degenerescência remanescente ocorre quando diferentes níveis de energia se superpõem. Mapeamos os pontos de degenerescência como uma função do campo magnético efetivo. Por fim, apresentamos um esquema experimental para a observação do efeito spin Hall para átomos ultrafrios em uma configuração tripod.

L’objectif principal de cette thèse est l’étude théorique de mélanges quantiques fortement interagissants à une dimension et soumis à un potentiel externe harmonique. De tels systèmes fortement corrélés peuvent être réalisés et testés dans des expériences d’atomes ultrafroids. Leurs propriétés de symétrie par permutation non triviales sont étudiées, ainsi que leurs effets sur les corrélations. Exploitant une solution exacte pour des interactions fortes, nous extrayons des propriétés générales des corrélations encodées dans la matrice densité à un corps et dans les distributions des impulsions associées, dans les mélanges fermioniques et de Bose-Fermi. En particulier, nous obtenons des résultats substantiels sur le comportement à courtes distances, et donc les queues à haute impulsions, qui suivent des lois en k^−4 typiques. Les poids de ces queues, dénotés contacts de Tan, sont liés à de nombreuses propriétés thermodynamiques des systèmes telles que les corrélations à deux corps, la dérivée de l’énergie par rapport à la longueur de diffusion unidimensionnelle, ou le facteur de structure statique. Nous montrons que ces contacts universels de Tan permettent également de caractériser la symétrie spatiale des systèmes, et constituent donc une connexion profonde entre les corrélations et les symétries. En outre, la symétrie d’échange est extraite en utilisant une méthode de théorie des groupes, à savoir la méthode de la somme des classes (class-sum method en anglais), qui provient à l’origine de la physique nucléaire. De plus, nous montrons que ces systèmes suivent une version généralisée du fameux théorème de Lieb-Mattis. Souhaitant rendre nos résultats aussi pertinents expérimentalement que possible, nous dérivons des lois d’échelle pour le contact de Tan en fonction de l’interaction, de la température et du confinement transverse. Ces lois présentent des effets intéressants liés aux fortes corrélations et à la dimensionnalité. / The main focus of this thesis is the theoretical study of strongly interacting quantum mixtures confined in one dimension and subjected to a harmonic external potential. Such strongly correlated systems can be realized and tested in ultracold atoms experiments. Their non-trivial permutational symmetry properties are investigated, as well as their interplay with correlations. Exploiting an exact solution at strong interactions, we extract general correlation properties encoded in the one-body density matrix and in the associated momentum distributions, in fermionic and Bose-Fermi mixtures. In particular, we obtain substantial results about the short-range behavior, and therefore the high-momentum tails, which display typical k^−4 laws. The weights of these tails, denoted as Tan’s contacts, are related to numerous thermodynamic properties of the systems such as the two-body correlations, the derivative of the energy with respect to the one-dimensional scattering length, or the static structure factor. We show that these universal Tan’s contacts also allow to characterize the spatial symmetry of the systems, and therefore is a deep connection between correlations and symmetries. Besides, the exchange symmetry is extracted using a group theory method, namely the class-sum method, which comes originally from nuclear physics. Moreover, we show that these systems follow a generalized version of the famous Lieb-Mattistheorem. Wishing to make our results as experimentally relevant as possible, we derive scaling laws for Tan’s contact as a function of the interaction, temperature and transverse confinement. These laws. Display displadisplay display interesting effects related to strong correlations and dimensionality.

Cold-atom quantum simulators offer unique possibilities to prepare, manipulate, and probe quantum many-body systems. However, despite the high level of control in modern experiments, not all observables of interest are easily accessible. This thesis aims at establishing protocols to measure currently elusive static and dynamic properties of quantum systems. The experimental feasibility of these schemes is illustrated by means of numerical simulations for relevant applications in many-body physics and quantum simulation. In particular, we introduce a general method for measuring dynamical correlations based on non-Hermitian linear response. This enables unbiased tests of the famous fluctuation-dissipation relation as a probe of thermalization in isolated quantum systems. Furthermore, we develop ancilla-based techniques for the measurement of currents and current correlations, permitting the characterization of strongly correlated quantum matter. Another application is geared towards revealing signatures of supersolidity in spin-orbit-coupled Bose gases by exciting the relevant Goldstone modes. Finally, we explore a scenario for quantum-simulating post-inflationary reheating dynamics by parametrically driving a Bose gas into the regime of universal far-from-equilibrium dynamics. The presented protocols also apply to other analog quantum simulation platforms and thus open up promising applications in the field of quantum science and technology. / I simulatori quantistici ad atomi freddi offrono possibilità uniche per preparare, manipolare e sondare sistemi quantistici a molti corpi. Tuttavia, nonostante l'alto livello di controllo raggiunto negli esperimenti moderni, non tutte le osservabili di interesse sono facilmente accessibili. Lo scopo di questa tesi è quello di stabilire protocolli per misurare delle proprietà statiche e dinamiche dei sistemi quantistici attualmente inaccessibili. La fattibilità sperimentale di questi schemi è illustrata mediante simulazioni numeriche per applicazioni rilevanti nella fisica a molti corpi e nella simulazione quantistica. In particolare, introduciamo un metodo generale per misurare le correlazioni dinamiche basato su una risposta lineare non hermitiana. Ciò consente test imparziali della famosa relazione fluttuazione-dissipazione come sonda di termalizzazione in sistemi quantistici isolati. Inoltre, sviluppiamo tecniche basate su ancilla per la misura di correnti e correlazioni di corrente, consentendo la caratterizzazione della materia quantistica fortemente correlata. Un'altra applicazione è orientata a rivelare l'impronta della supersolidità nei gas Bose con accoppiamento spin-orbita eccitando il corrispondente modo di Goldstone. Infine, esploriamo uno scenario per la simulazione quantistica della dinamica di riscaldamento post-inflazione modulando parametricamente un gas Bose e portandolo nel regime della dinamica universale lontana dall'equilibrio. I protocolli presentati si applicano anche ad altre piattaforme di simulazione quantistica analogica e aprono quindi applicazioni promettenti nel campo della scienza e della tecnologia quantistica. / Quantensimulatoren auf Basis ultrakalter Atome eröffnen einzigartige Möglichkeiten zur Präparation, Manipulation und Untersuchung von Quanten-Vielteilchen-Systemen. Trotz des hohen Maßes an Kontrolle in modernen Experimenten sind jedoch nicht alle interessanten Observablen auf einfache Weise zugänglich. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, Protokolle zur Messung aktuell nur schwer erfassbarer statischer und dynamischer Eigenschaften von Quantensystemen zu etablieren. Die experimentelle Realisierbarkeit dieser Verfahren wird durch numerische Simulationen anhand relevanter Anwendungen in der Vielteilchenphysik und Quantensimulation veranschaulicht. Insbesondere wird eine allgemeine Methode zur Messung dynamischer Korrelationen basierend auf der linearen Antwort auf nicht-hermitesche Störungen vorgestellt. Diese ermöglicht unabhängige Tests des berühmten Fluktuations-Dissipations-Theorems als Indikator der Thermalisierung isolierter Quantensysteme. Darüber hinaus werden Verfahren zur Messung von Strömen und Strom-Korrelationen mittels Kopplung an einen Hilfszustand entwickelt, welche die Charakterisierung stark korrelierter Quantenmaterie erlauben. Eine weitere Anwendung zielt auf die Enthüllung spezifischer Merkmale von Supersolidität in Spin-Bahn-gekoppelten Bose-Einstein-Kondensaten ab, indem die relevanten Goldstone-Moden angeregt werden. Schließlich wird ein Szenario zur Quantensimulation post-inflationärer Thermalisierungsdynamik durch die parametrische Anregung eines Bose-Gases in das Regime universeller Dynamik fern des Gleichgewichts erschlossen. Die dargestellten Protokolle lassen sich auch auf andere Plattformen für analoge Quantensimulation übertragen und eröffnen damit vielversprechende Anwendungen auf dem Gebiet der Quantentechnologie.