Session H3 - Impact of Advanced Measurement Techniques/Computer Power on Modeling Research.
INVITED session, Tuesday morning, March 04
Ballroom C, Austin Convention Center
Quantum interference is the manifestation of wave-particle duality and has been demonstrated using many different coherent systems from beams of neutrons and atoms to Bose-Einstein condensates and cooper-paired superconducting electrons. As a consequence, science has "cashed in" on this quantum phenomenon to produce extremely useful practical devices for measuring very small quantities. An example is the direct current superconducting quantum interference device or d.c. SQUID, known for its immense sensitivity to magnetic fields and its use in a wide range of applications. Recently, it has been possible to harness quantum interference in superfluid ^3He to provide a means for measuring rotations in analogy with the superconducting d.c. SQUID. This first generation device has been used to measure the rotation of the Earth and is also a unique platform for testing non-conventional quantum interference phenomenon.