John E. Thomas | Scholars@Duke

John E. Thomas
Fritz London Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics

Professor John E. Thomas is exploring the physics of an optically trapped degenerate Fermi gas. The group pioneered the development of ultrastable all-optical traps for neutral atoms in 1999, achieving trap lifetimes of more than 400 seconds, comparable to the best magnetic traps. The group has developed methods for direct evaporative cooling of neutral atoms in optical traps, enabling the first all-optical production of a degenerate Fermi gas in 2001. The trapped gas comprises a degenerate 50-50 mixture of spin-up and spin-down fermionic lithium-6 atoms, which exhibits a collisional (Feshbach) resonance in a bias magnetic field. In 2002, the Duke group was the first to produce and study a strongly interacting degenerate Fermi gas. This system exhibits universal behavior and is a paradigm for testing nonperturbative many-body calculational methods in disciplines from nuclear matter to high temperature superconductors. In 2004, the Duke group was the first to observe evidence for high temperature superfluid hydrodynamics in a strongly interacting Fermi gas. Ongoing experiments include studies of the thermodynamics and transport properties of this unique quantum system.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Fritz London Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Physics, Physics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2011
Professor Emeritus of Physics, Physics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2011

Contact Information

185 Physics Bldg, Durham, NC 27708
Box 90305, Durham, NC 27708-0305
jet@phy.duke.edu (919) 660-2508
http://www.phy.duke.edu/research/photon/qoptics/

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1979
Duke Appointment History
- Professor with Tenure, Physics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1991 - 2011
- Associate Professor with Tenure, Physics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 1987 - 1991
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Jesse Beams Award. American Physical Society. 2011
- Fellow. American Physical Society. 1997
Research
Selected Grants
- Nonequilibrum Fermi Gases awarded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research 2010 - 2013
- Simulating Strongly Correlated Electrons with a Strongly Interacting Fermi Gas awarded by Department of Energy 2009 - 2012
- Strongly Interacting Fermi Gases in Reduced Dimensions awarded by Army Research Office 2005 - 2011
- Fermi Gases with Optically-Controlled Interactions awarded by Army Research Office 2010 - 2011
- Trapped Fermi gases as models of strongly interacting matter awarded by National Science Foundation 2008 - 2011
- Strongly-Interacting Fermic Gases in Reduced Dimensions awarded by Army Research Office 2005 - 2008
- Trapped Fermi Gases as Models of Strong Interacting Matter awarded by National Science Foundation 2005 - 2008
- Quantum Dynamics of Optically-Trapped Fermi Gases awarded by Department of Energy 2001 - 2007
- Quantum Coherence in Ultracold Fermionic Vapors (Supplement) 2005 - 2007
- Quantum Coherence in Ultracold Fermionic Vapors 2001 - 2006
- All-Optical Production of Degnerate Fermi Gas Mixtures awarded by Army Research Office 2005 - 2006
- Light and Matter Wave Scattering in an Optically Trapped Fermi Gas awarded by Army Research Office 2002 - 2006
- All-Optical Production of Degenerate Fermi Gas Mixtures awarded by Army Research Office 2002 - 2005
- Resonance Fermi-Superfluidity in a CO2 Laser Trap awarded by National Science Foundation 2002 - 2005
- Imaging and Interactions of Li Fermions in an Ultrasound CO2 Laser Trap awarded by Army Research Office 1999 - 2002
- Ultrastable CO2 Laser Trap for Lithium Fermions awarded by National Science Foundation 1999 - 2002
- Optical Characterization of an Ultracold Fermi Gas awarded by Army Research Office 2000 - 2002
- (96-0959) Optical Phase Space Tomography awarded by National Institutes of Health 1997 - 2000
- (98-0665) Optical Phase Space Tomography awarded by National Institutes of Health 1997 - 2000
- Optical Phase Space Tomography awarded by National Institutes of Health 1997 - 2000
- (98-0821) Atom Noise awarded by National Science Foundation 1996 - 1999
- Atom Imaging awarded by Army Research Office 1996 - 1999
- (98-0463) Atom Imaging awarded by Army Research Office 1996 - 1998
- (96-0033) Atom Noise awarded by National Science Foundation 1996 - 1998
- (97-0881) Atomic Noise awarded by National Science Foundation 1996 - 1998
- (96-0413) Ultra-cold Atom Imaging awarded by Army Research Office 1996 - 1997
- (96-0215) Atom Imaging with Diode Lasers awarded by Army Research Office 1996
- (96-0388) Atom Imaging awarded by Army Research Office 1993 - 1996
- (93-0397) Precision Position Measurement of Single Atoms awarded by Army Research Office 1993 - 1996
- (94-0974) Atomic Coherence awarded by National Science Foundation 1992 - 1996
- (95-0273) Atom Imaging awarded by Army Research Office 1993 - 1995
- (92-0332) Atomic Coherence awarded by National Science Foundation 1992 - 1995
- (94-0012) Atomic Coherence awarded by National Science Foundation 1992 - 1995
- (94-0367) Atom Imaging awarded by Army Research Office 1993 - 1994
- (93-0693) Continuous Sources of Atomic Coherence for Optical Processing awarded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research 1993 - 1994
- (93-0466) Atom Imaging awarded by Army Research Office 1993
- (93-0383) Continuous Spatial Photon Echoes for Non-Linear Optical Processing awarded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research 1991 - 1993
- (90-0142) Uncertainty Limited Atomic Position Measurement Using Optical Fields awarded by Army Research Office 1990 - 1993
- (93-0289) Uncertainty Limited Atomic Position Measurement Using Optical Fields awarded by Army Research Office 1990 - 1993
- (92-0751) Uncertainty Limited Atomic Position awarded by Army Research Office 1990 - 1993
- (91-0744) Collision Induced Processes in Macroscopic Optical Coherence awarded by National Science Foundation 1990 - 1992
- (92-0297) Continuous Spatial Photon Echoes for Non-Linear Optical Processing awarded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research 1991 - 1992
- (92-0884) Precision Atomic Position Measurement Using Optical Fields 1993 - 1992
- (91-0794) Precision Atomic Position Measurement Using Optical Fields 1990 - 1992
- (90-0090) Collision Induced Process in Macroscopic Optical Coherence awarded by National Science Foundation 1990 - 1992
- (91-0657) Uncertainty Limited Atomic Position Measurement Using Optical Fields awarded by Army Research Office 1990 - 1992
- (90-0596) Precision Atomic Position Measurement Using Optical Fields 1990 - 1991
- (90-0536) Nonlinear Optics in Dense Frequency Narrow Supersonic Beams awarded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research 1988 - 1991
- (89-0527) Quantum Superposition State Scattering awarded by National Science Foundation 1987 - 1990
- (88-0263) Nonlinear Optics in Dense Frequency Narrow Supersonic Beams awarded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research 1988 - 1990
- (89-0789) Nonlinear Optics in Dense Frequency Narrow Supersonic Beams awarded by Air Force Office of Scientific Research 1988 - 1990
- (88-0322) Quantum Superposition State Scattering awarded by National Science Foundation 1987 - 1989
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Joseph, J. A., J. E. Thomas, M. Kulkarni, and A. G. Abanov. “Observation of shock waves in a strongly interacting Fermi gas.” Physical Review Letters 106, no. 15 (April 11, 2011): 150401. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.106.150401.
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  - Cao, C., E. Elliott, J. Joseph, H. Wu, J. Petricka, T. Schäfer, and J. E. Thomas. “Universal quantum viscosity in a unitary Fermi gas.” Science (New York, N.Y.) 331, no. 6013 (January 2011): 58–61. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1195219.
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  - Thomas, J. E. “Is an ultra-cold strongly interacting Fermi gas a perfect fluid.” Nucl. Phys. A 830 (October 2009).
  - Du, X., Y. Zhang, J. Petricka, and J. E. Thomas. “Controlling spin current in a trapped Fermi gas.” Physical Review Letters 103, no. 1 (July 2009): 010401. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.103.010401.
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  - Du, X., Y. Zhang, and J. E. Thomas. “Inelastic collisions of a Fermi gas in the BEC-BCS crossover.” Physical Review Letters 102, no. 25 (June 24, 2009): 250402. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.102.250402.
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  - Luo, L., and J. E. Thomas. “Thermodynamic measurements in strongly interacting Fermi gas.” Journal of Low Temperature Physics 154, no. 1–2 (January 1, 2009): 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-008-9850-2.
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  - Du, X., L. Luo, B. Clancy, and J. E. Thomas. “Observation of anomalous spin segregation in a trapped Fermi gas.” Physical Review Letters 101, no. 15 (October 6, 2008): 150401. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.101.150401.
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  - Thomas, J. E. “Energy measurement and virial theorem for confined universal Fermi gases.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 78, no. 1 (July 23, 2008). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.78.013630.
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  - Turlapov, A., J. Kinast, B. Clancy, L. Luo, J. Joseph, and J. E. Thomas. “Is a gas of strongly interacting atomic fermions a nearly perfect fluid?” Journal of Low Temperature Physics 150, no. 3–4 (February 1, 2008): 567–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-007-9589-1.
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  - Clancy, Bason, Le Luo, and John E. Thomas. “Observation of nearly perfect irrotational flow in normal and superfluid strongly interacting Fermi gases.” Physical Review Letters 99, no. 14 (October 2007): 140401. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.99.140401.
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  - Joseph, J., B. Clancy, L. Luo, J. Kinast, A. Turlapov, and J. E. Thomas. “Measurement of sound velocity in a fermi gas near a feshbach resonance.” Physical Review Letters 98, no. 17 (April 24, 2007). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.170401.
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  - Luo, L., B. Clancy, J. Joseph, J. Kinast, and J. E. Thomas. “Measurement of the entropy and critical temperature of a strongly interacting Fermi gas.” Physical Review Letters 98, no. 8 (February 21, 2007): 080402. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.98.080402.
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  - Luo, L., B. Clancy, J. Joseph, J. Kinast, A. Turlapov, and J. E. Thomas. “Evaporative cooling of unitary Fermi gas mixtures in optical traps.” New Journal of Physics 8 (September 27, 2006). https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630/8/9/213.
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  - Thomas, John E. “Ultracold Fermi gas on a chip.” Nature Physics 2, no. 6 (June 2006): 377–78. https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys326.
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  - Thomas, J. E. “Optically-trapped Fermi gases.” Habitation 10 (2006).
  - Reil, Frank, and John E. Thomas. “Observation of phase conjugation of light arising from enhanced backscattering in a random medium.” Physical Review Letters 95, no. 14 (September 29, 2005): 143903. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.95.143903.
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  - Thomas, J. E., J. Kinast, and A. Turlapov. “Virial theorem and universality in a unitary fermi gas.” Physical Review Letters 95, no. 12 (September 13, 2005): 120402. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.95.120402.
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  - Lu, Z. H., J. E. Thomas, and S. Bali. “Observation of phase-sensitive temporal correlations in the resonance fluorescence from two-level atoms.” Optics Letters 30, no. 18 (September 2005): 2478–80. https://doi.org/10.1364/ol.30.002478.
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  - Kinast, J., A. Turlapov, and J. E. Thomas. “Damping of a unitary Fermi gas.” Physical Review Letters 94, no. 17 (May 6, 2005): 170404. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.94.170404.
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  - Kinast, Joseph, Andrey Turlapov, John E. Thomas, Qijin Chen, Jelena Stajic, and Kathryn Levin. “Heat capacity of a strongly interacting Fermi gas.” Science (New York, N.Y.) 307, no. 5713 (February 2005): 1296–99. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1109220.
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  - Kinast, J., A. Turlapov, and J. E. Thomas. “Optically trapped fermi gases model strong interactions in nature.” Optics and Photonics News 16, no. 12 SPEC. ISS. (January 1, 2005). https://doi.org/10.1364/OPN.16.12.000021.
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  - Kinast, J., A. Turlapov, and J. E. Thomas. “Breakdown of hydrodynamics in the radial breathing mode of a strongly interacting Fermi gas.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 70, no. 5 A (November 1, 2004). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.70.051401.
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  - Thomas, J. E., and M. E. Gehm. “Optically trapped fermi gases.” American Scientist 92, no. 3 (May 1, 2004): 238–45.
    Link to Item
  - Kinast, J., S. L. Hemmer, M. E. Gehm, A. Turlapov, and J. E. Thomas. “Evidence for superfluidity in a resonantly interacting Fermi gas.” Physical Review Letters 92, no. 15 (April 13, 2004): 150402. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.92.150402.
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  - Lee, K. F., and J. E. Thomas. “Entanglement with classical fields.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 69, no. 5 A (January 1, 2004). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.69.052311.
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  - Thomas, J. E., S. L. Hemmer, J. Kinast, A. Turlapov, M. E. Gehm, and K. M. O’Hara. “Dynamics of a highly-degenerate, strongly-interacting Fermii gas of atoms.” Journal of Low Temperature Physics 134, no. 1–2 (January 1, 2004): 655–64.
  - Gehm, M. E., S. L. Hemmer, K. M. O’Hara, and J. E. Thomas. “Unitarity-limited elastic collision rate in a harmonically trapped Fermi gas.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 68, no. 1 (January 1, 2003). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.68.011603.
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  - Gehm, M. E., S. L. Hemmer, S. R. Granade, K. M. O’Hara, and J. E. Thomas. “Mechanical stability of a strongly interacting Fermi gas of atoms.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 68, no. 1 (January 1, 2003). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.68.011401.
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  - O’Hara, K. M., S. L. Hemmer, M. E. Gehm, S. R. Granade, and J. E. Thomas. “Observation of a strongly interacting degenerate Fermi gas of atoms.” Science (New York, N.Y.) 298, no. 5601 (December 2002): 2179–82. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1079107.
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  - Granade, S. R., M. E. Gehm, K. M. O’Hara, and J. E. Thomas. “All-optical production of a degenerate Fermi gas.” Physical Review Letters 88, no. 12 (March 8, 2002): 120405. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.88.120405.
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  - Lee, K. F., and J. E. Thomas. “Experimental simulation of two-particle quantum entanglement using classical fields.” Physical Review Letters 88, no. 9 (March 2002): 097902. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.88.097902.
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  - O’Hara, K. M., S. L. Hemmer, S. R. Granade, M. E. Gehm, J. E. Thomas, V. Venturi, E. Tiesinga, and C. J. Williams. “Measurement of the zero crossing in a Feshbach resonance of fermionic [Formula Presented].” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 66, no. 4 (January 1, 2002). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.66.041401.
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  - O’Hara, K. M., M. E. Gehm, S. R. Granade, and J. E. Thomas. “Scaling laws for evaporative cooling in time-dependent optical traps.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 64, no. 5 (January 1, 2001). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.64.051403.
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  - O’Hara, K. M., S. R. Granade, M. E. Gehm, and J. E. Thomas. “Loading dynamics of CO2 laser traps.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 63, no. 4 (January 1, 2001): 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.63.043403.
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  - O’Hara, K. M., and J. E. Thomas. “Standing room only at the quantum scale.” Science 291 (2001).
  - O’Hara, K. M., M. E. Gehm, S. R. Granade, S. Bali, and J. E. Thomas. “Stable, strongly attractive, two-state mixture of lithium fermions in an optical trap.” Physical Review Letters 85, no. 10 (September 2000): 2092–95. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.85.2092.
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  - Wax, A., S. Bali, and J. E. Thomas. “Path-length-resolved optical phase space distributions for enhanced backscatter.” Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 (2000).
  - Lee, K. F., F. Reil, S. Bali, A. Wax, and J. E. Thomas. “Heterodyne measurement of Wigner distributions for classical optical fields.” Optics Letters 24, no. 19 (October 1999): 1370–72. https://doi.org/10.1364/ol.24.001370.
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  - Wax, A., S. Bali, and J. E. Thomas. “Optical phase-space distributions for low-coherence light.” Optics Letters 24, no. 17 (September 1999): 1188–90. https://doi.org/10.1364/ol.24.001188.
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  - Bali, S., K. M. O’Hara, M. E. Gehm, S. R. Granade, and J. E. Thomas. “Quantum-diffractive background gas collisions in atom-trap heating and loss.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 60, no. 1 (January 1, 1999): R29–32. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.60.R29.
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  - Gehm, M. E., K. M. O’Hara, T. A. Savard, and J. E. Thomas. “Noise induced Population Loss in Atom Traps.” Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 44 (1999).
  - Lu, Z. H., S. Bali, and J. E. Thomas. “Observation of Phase-dependent Temporal Correlations in Resonance Fluorescence.” Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 44 (1999).
  - O’hara, K. M., S. R. Granade, M. E. Gehm, T. A. Savard, S. Bali, C. Freed, and J. E. Thomas. “Ultrastable CO2laser trapping of lithium fermions.” Physical Review Letters 82, no. 21 (January 1, 1999): 4204–7. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.82.4204.
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  - Savard, T. A., S. R. Granade, K. M. O’Hara, M. E. Gehm, and J. E. Thomas. “Raman-induced magnetic resonance imaging of atoms in a magneto-optical trap.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 60, no. 6 (January 1, 1999): 4788–95. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.60.4788.
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  - Wax, A., S. Bali, G. A. Alphonse, and J. E. Thomas. “Characterizing the coherence of broadband sources using optical phase space contours.” J. Biomed. Opt. 4 (1999): 1–8.
  - Lu, Z. H., S. Bali, and J. E. Thomas. “Observation of squeezing in the phase-dependent fluorescence spectra of two-level atoms.” Physical Review Letters 81, no. 17 (October 26, 1998): 3635–38. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.81.3635.
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  - Wax, A., and J. E. Thomas. “Measurement of smoothed Wigner phase-space distributions for small-angle scattering in a turbid medium.” Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics, Image Science, and Vision 15, no. 7 (July 1998): 1896–1908. https://doi.org/10.1364/josaa.15.001896.
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  - Gehm, M. E., K. M. O’Hara, T. A. Savard, and J. E. Thomas. “Dynamics of noise-induced heating in atom traps.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 58, no. 5 (January 1, 1998): 3914–21. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.58.3914.
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  - Lu, Z. H., S. Bali, and J. E. Thomas. “Observation of Squeezing in Free Space Phase-Dependent Resonance Fluorescence.” Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 43 (1998).
  - Savard, T. A., K. M. O’Hara, S. R. Granade, M. E. Gehm, and J. E. Thomas. “Raman Induced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Atoms in a MOT.” Bull. Am. Phys. Soc. 43 (1998).
  - Zhao, H. Z., Z. H. Lu, A. M. Bacon, L. J. Wang, and J. E. Thomas. “Precision measurement of phase-dependent resonance fluorescence spectra.” Physical Review a Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics 57, no. 2 (January 1, 1998): 1427–47. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.57.1427.
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Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
Presentations & Appearances
Outreach & Engaged Scholarship
- Unknown. Extra-Departmental Service. December 10, 2010 2010
- Unknown. Extra-Departmental Service. December 10, 2010 2010
Service to the Profession
- NSF. December 4, 2008 2008
- ICAP 2008. July 27, 2008 2008

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Education, Training, & Certifications

Duke Appointment History

Awards & Honors

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

Academic Articles

Presentations & Appearances

Outreach & Engaged Scholarship

Service to the Profession