On June 19th 1999, the European Ministers of Education signed the Bologna Dec laration, with which they agreed that the European university education should be uniformized throughout Europe and based on the two cycle bachelor master’s sys tem. The Institute for Theoretical Physics at Utrecht University quickly responded to this new challenge and created an international master’s programme in Theoret ical Physics which started running in the summer of 2000. At present, the master’s programme is a so called prestige master at Utrecht University, and it aims at train ing motivated students to become sophisticated researchers in theoretical physics. The programme is built on the philosophy that modern theoretical physics is guided by universal principles that can be applied to any sub?eld of physics. As a result, the basis of the master’s programme consists of the obligatory courses Statistical Field Theory and Quantum Field Theory. These focus in particular on the general concepts of quantum ?eld theory, rather than on the wide variety of possible applica tions. These applications are left to optional courses that build upon the ?rm concep tual basis given in the obligatory courses. The subjects of these optional courses in clude, for instance, Strongly Correlated Electrons, Spintronics, Bose Einstein Con densation, The Standard Model, Cosmology, and String Theory.

Modern techniques from quantum field theory are applied in this work to the description of ultracold quantum gases. This leads to a unified description of many phenomena including superfluidity for bosons and fermions, classical and quantum phase transitions, different dimensions, thermodynamic properties and few-body phenomena as bound state formation or the Efimov effect. The non-perturbative treatment with renormalization group flow equations can account for all known limiting cases by solving one single equation. It improves previous results quantitatively and brings qualitatively new insights. As an example, new quantum phase transitions are found for fermions with three spin states. Ultracold atomic gases can be seen as an interesting model for features of high energy physics and for condensed matter theory. The research reported in this thesis helps to solve the difficult complexity problem in modern theoretical physics.

This book derives from the content of graduate courses on cold atomic gases, taught at the Renmin University of China and at the University of Science and Technology of China. It provides a brief review on the history and current research frontiers in the field of ultracold atomic gases, as well as basic theoretical description of few- and many-body physics in the system. Starting from the basics such as atomic structure, atom-light interaction, laser cooling and trapping, the book then moves on to focus on the treatment of ultracold Fermi gases, before turning to topics in quantum simulation using cold atoms in optical lattices.The book would be ideal not only for professionals and researchers, but also for familiarizing junior graduate students with the subject and aiding them in their preparation for future study and research in the field.

Choice Recommended Title, February 2020 This book explores quantum field theory using the Feynman functional and diagrammatic techniques as foundations to apply Quantum Field Theory to a broad range of topics in physics. This book will be of interest not only to condensed matter physicists but physicists in a range of disciplines as the techniques explored apply to high-energy as well as soft matter physics. Features: Comprehensive and rigorous, yet presents an easy to understand approach Applicable to a wide range of disciplines Accessible to those with little, or basic, mathematical understanding

This thesis represents a decisive breakthrough in our understanding of the physics of universal quantum-mechanical three-body systems. The Efimov scenario is a prime example of how fundamental few-body physics features universally across seemingly disparate fields of modern quantum physics. Initially postulated for nuclear physics more than 40 years ago, the Efimov effect has now become a new research paradigm not only in ultracold atomic gases but also in molecular, biological and condensed matter systems. Despite a lot of effort since its first observations, the scaling behavior, which is a hallmark property and often referred to as the “holy grail” of Efimov physics, remained hidden until recently. In this work, the author demonstrates this behavior for the first time for a heteronuclear mixture of ultracold Li and Cs atoms, and pioneers the experimental understanding of microscopic, non-universal properties in such systems. Based on the application of Born-Oppenheimer approximation, well known from molecular physics textbooks, an exceptionally clear and intuitive picture of heteronuclear Efimov physics is revealed.

This 2008 book, reissued as OA, captures the essence of nonequilibrium quantum field theory, graduate students and researchers.

This volume provides a broad overview of the principal theoretical techniques applied to non-equilibrium and finite temperature quantum gases. Covering Bose-Einstein condensates, degenerate Fermi gases, and the more recently realised exciton-polariton condensates, it fills a gap by linking between different methods with origins in condensed matter physics, quantum field theory, quantum optics, atomic physics, and statistical mechanics.

Covering general theoretical concepts and the research to date, this book demonstrates that Bose-Einstein condensation is a truly universal phenomenon.

Over the last decade new experimental tools and theoretical concepts are providing new insights into collective nonequilibrium behavior of quantum systems. The exquisite control provided by laser trapping and cooling techniques allows us to observe the behavior of condensed bose and degenerate Fermi gases under nonequilibrium drive or after `quenches' in which a Hamiltonian parameter is suddenly or slowly changed. On the solid state front, high intensity short-time pulses and fast (femtosecond) probes allow solids to be put into highly excited states and probed before relaxation and dissipation occur. Experimental developments are matched by progress in theoretical techniques ranging from exact solutions of strongly interacting nonequilibrium models to new approaches to nonequilibrium numerics. The summer school `Strongly interacting quantum systems out of equilibrium' held at the Les Houches School of Physics as its XCIX session was designed to summarize this progress, lay out the open questions and define directions for future work. This books collects the lecture notes of the main courses given in this summer school.

This book covers some of the most recent advances in the field of superfluids and superconductors. More specifically, it presents some of the most advanced theoretical formulations of superfluidity and superconductivity with special regard to their topological properties and vortex dynamics together with a description of the main experiments carried out via experimental techniques at the forefront to study these two such important phenomena in condensed matter physics. Special emphasis is given to ultracold Fermi gases, to clean liquid helium and to vortex membranes and knots for the class of superfluids and to the emerging superconductivity, to intermediate states in type-I superconductors, and to heat treatments to modulate the critical temperature for the class of superconductors.