Quantum phases and dynamics of a single atom coupled to many degrees of freedom

Abstract

Ultracold gas experiments offer a perfect testbed to explore quantum dynamics and phase transitions. Even in the
simplest case of a single particle, new and complex physics emerge when the number of coupled degrees of
freedom is increased. In this talk, I will present two experimental studies I conducted during my PhD which
illustrate this phenomenon. The first study was done with a single atom in a multi-level lattice potential,
leveraging fast atomic interferometry. There, we discovered a novel crossover between two quantum speed limits.
A second experiment investigated the quantum state of a fermionic impurity particle immersed in a bath of
different fermionic particles. In this scenario, we revealed a continuous transition between two distinct ground
states – a polaron quasi-particle and a molecule. There is a first-order transition in the limit of a single impurity;
however, when many impurities are introduced, we find that it is smoothed due to the quantum statistics of the

involved quasi-particles

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