We are actively looking for a long term JRF to join our group
2018 - now : Faculty Member, Department of Nuclear and Atomic Physics, TIFR Mumbai
2018 - 2018 : Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, IISER Bhopal
2015 - 2018 : DST INSPIRE Faculty, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore
2014 - 2015 : Pancharatnam Fellow, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore
2007 - 2013 : Ph.D. (Physics), Purdue University, West Lafayette, U.S.A.
2005 - 2007 : M.Sc. (Physics), S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata
2002 - 2005 : B.Sc. (Physics), Presidency College, Kolkata
2024 : INSA Young Associate 2024
2020 : ISAMP Young Scientist Award, Indian Society of Atomic and Molecular Physics
2015 : DST INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship, Department of Science and Technology, India
2014 : Pancharatnam Fellowship, Raman Research Institute
2014 : Karl Lark-Horovitz Award, Purdue University
2013 : Bilsland Dissertation Fellowship, Purdue University
2013 : FGSA Travel Award for Excellence in Graduate Research, American Physical Society
2012 : Dr. Warner Black Award, Purdue University
My research interest is in the physics and chemistry of atoms, ions and molecules at ultralow temperatures. My work centres on cooling and trapping of atoms, ions and molecules in order to study cold collisions and interactions at low temperatures. At ultralow temperatures, collisions can no longer be described classically making cold collisions ideal for the study of quantum mechanical scattering. The long interrogation times, precise quantum-state preparation and control offered in ultracold trapped systems enable a variety research directions that include precision measurements, atomic clocks, quantum simulation and quantum chemistry.
My doctoral research at Purdue University was on creating ultracold polar Lithium-Rubidium (LiRb) molecules using photoassociation (PA) - a spectroscopic technique in which light at a precisely tuned frequency is used to bind two ultracold atoms. Our group was the first to create ultracold LiRb molecules and we observed surprisingly large PA rates. We were also one of the first groups to report detailed spectroscopic studies on LiRb.
With the LiRb apparatus, circa 2012
Photograph of a Li MOT
Subsequently, for my post-doctoral research at RRI Bangalore, I worked on simultaneous trapping of ultracold atoms and ions. Through a series of experiments we established, for the first time, that collisional cooling of light ions by co-trapped heavy atoms is possible. This could enable cooling of hydrogen molecular ions to ultralow temperatures. We also demonstrated a new cooling mechanism for cooling of trapped ions, based on the phenomenon of resonant charge exchange. In a different experiment, we established that light plays a crucial role in the loss of alkali molecular ions trapped in an ion trap.
I have also ventured into cavity physics and worked specifically on collective strong coupling of atoms to optical cavities. A signature of such coupling is the vacuum-Rabi splitting (VRS) of an on-axis probe beam which we can continuously monitor. Using the VRS as a probe we are able to determine non-destructively the presence of trapped ions and measure their abundance.
Department of Nuclear and Atomic Physics,
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research,
1 Homi Bhabha Road, Navy Nagar, Colaba,
Mumbai 400005.
sourav . dutta [at] tifr. res. in
sourav . dutta . mr [at] gmail . com