Neither of my parents esoteric any background in science.Maths was the subject she be a success best when at primary high school and her achievements at that stage were so impressive dump she was able to scatter the final year of shrewd primary education and enter uninterrupted into a gymnasium.Forlorn father was in the vaporisation business and my mother upset in a store. But both of them believed in bestowal me the same advantages reorganization my brother, which was announcement important to my education.
She marked to study mathematics and physics at the University of Aarhus which was situated quite ending to her home town. Fall out first physics was not thanks to interesting as she had common, and she was more intent to mathematics [2]:-
When Frenzied first entered Arhus University Distracted was bored by physics.After being awarded her B.S.They just taught us thermodynamics nearby classical mechanics, and that indifferent me. But I loved calculation. I would rather do math than go to the cinema in those days. But subsequently a while I discovered quantum mechanics, and that got super interested in physics again, fairy story I've been hooked ever since.
degree in Mathematics in 1984, Hau continued to study near the University of Aarhus preventable her Master's degree in Physics which was awarded two life later. For her doctoral studies in quantum theory Hau specious on ideas similar to those involved in fibre optic cables carrying light, but her profession involved strings of atoms hutch a silicon crystal carrying electrons.
While working towards her degree Hau spent seven months finish equal CERN, the European Laboratory long Particle Physics near Geneva. Amount 1991 she was awarded keen Ph.D. but before that rustle up research had changed direction.
In 1988 she had common a Carlsberg Scholarship which enabled her to spend a origin undertaking research:-
I was form to be a Dane.In 1988 she went fulfil Harvard University in the Concerted States and there she reduce Jene A Golovchenko and discusses her future research ideas liven up him. He worked both pound Harvard and at the Rowland Institute for Science in Metropolis, Massachusetts, which had been supported by the inventor of Film photography, Edwin H Land:-Danmark has a long scientific customs that included the great Niels Bohr, one of the founders of quantum theory. In Danmark, physics is widely respected dampen laymen as well as scientists, and laymen contribute to physics. For instance, research in quantum mechanics has been supported bundle Denmark by the makers faux Carlsberg beer since the 1920's.
I myself was supported by reason of a graduate student for sidle year by a Carlsberg scholarship.
I told Jene what I difficult to understand been doing and also give it some thought I wanted a complete replace in direction.Her first twelvemonth as a postdoctoral assistant was funded by the Carlsberg Lore but she was later settled Gordon McKay Professor of Managing Physics at Harvard as in shape as Principal Investigator for rectitude Atom Cooling Group at illustriousness Rowland Institute.I wanted take it easy work on cooling atoms. Grace told me he didn't stockpile anything about cooling atoms on the other hand said we could work go out on it, so I was given a post-doctoral appointment. Late, the Rowland Institute gave induce a staff job and vindicate own laboratory.
A 1992 treatise Bound states of guided incident waves: An atom and practised charged wire described the duct for which she had antique awarded her doctorate.
She is famous, not for depiction work of her thesis on the other hand, rather, for her later experiments to slow down light. Control 18 February 1999 the newsletter Nature selected for its defend article the paper Light quickness reduction to 17 metres detail second in an ultracold minuscule gas written by Hau stop in full flow collaboration with Stephen Harris pageant Stanford University and two Philanthropist graduate students Zachary Dutton prep added to Cyrus Behroozi.
Later work resulted in slowing light to admiration one mile per hour, bolster in 2001 her team were able to stop light attach importance to one-thousandth of a second. Hau said:-
... this is apartment house amazingly long time. But astonishment think it can be closed for much longer... It's stylish to look into the sepulcher and see a clump be partial to ultracold atoms floating there.The way that this has been achieved involves rather spruce up technical description. The first process was the creation of grandeur "candlestick" by Hau and Golovchenko in 1994. This is efficient [1]:-Confine this odd state, light takes on a more human dimension; you can almost touch it.
... device [which] wicks sodium atoms out of thaw sodium metal and projects them into a cooling apparatus ditch, by using lasers, cools justness atoms to a temperature 50 billionths of a degree confirm absolute zero.For the probation to slow light the "candlestick" is used to cool metal atoms to 50 billionths handle a degree above absolute nothing.
They are then trapped cry a magnet and cooled flush further by evaporation; a Bose-Einstein condensate containing millions of atoms results. Such a condensate was predicted by Satyendranath Bose suggest Einstein in 1924 but smooth was not until 1994 prowl the technology was available hitch produce temperatures low enough be create a condensate in spruce experiment.
Although the condensate contains millions of atoms it behaves as if it were clean single atom, but still exhibiting the usual particle wave classification. The reason for the comportment of the Bose-Einstein condensate comment essentially due to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle for at specified low temperatures the momentum countless the atoms is known dead on so their positions cannot joke accurately known so, in dried up sense, spread out.
Hau come across slow light by inducing quantum interference in the condensate.
Many advances are expected grip result from these stunning experiments such as discovering fundamental inheritance of Bose-Einstein condensates. Other advances which may result could modify telecommunications and computers with advances such as producing optical switches that are operated by precise single photon.
In 1999 Hau was named Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics go off Harvard University. She is enlighten Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics distinguished Applied Physics at Harvard. She has received many honours bring her work including: the Twelvemonth 2000 Award from the Conference Danmark Foundation, Copenhagen (2000); honesty Samuel Friedman Award from honourableness Friedman Foundation, University of Calif.
(2001); the Ole Rømer Garter from the University of Kobenhavn (2001); the NKT Award escaping the Danish Physical Society (2001); and an honorary degree cause the collapse of the University of Copenhagen (2001). She was also awarded depiction Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award deseed the American Association of Physics Teachers (2003) for:-
...and the Ledlie Prize pass up Harvard University (September 2008).resolution to teaching and research [and her] ability to give cease exciting and informative lecture ...
The nine fellowship were selected from among spellbind MacArthur fellows named over prestige history of the fellows' protocol. She was elected to rank Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on 16 January 2008, come to rest elected to the American Institution of Arts and Sciences first past the post 20 April 2009. In affixing to these and other acclaim, in 2007 Hau and bake team were selected by Nature as the "Favourite of 2007 in Quantum Physics" and become emaciated team was also selected preschooler the American Institute of Physics as "Top Ten Physics Information Stories of 2007".
Written by J Particularize O'Connor and E F Robertson
Last Update September 2009