Description
Ultracold atoms, or atoms that have been cooled to temperatures very near absolute zero, are used to study a variety of fundamental physics concepts. These atoms behave quantum mechanically, which means that the atoms obey a different set of rules that are well defined by the theory of quantum mechanics. We manipulate these macroscopic systems by applying time-dependent magnetic and optical fields. After completing an experiment, we use absorption imaging techniques to image how the atoms have responded to these specific experimental parameters. These images are taken with a CCD camera and are passed back into the computer interface, where they need to be uploaded and quickly analyzed. In this project, we have developed a graphical user interface (GUI) using the Tkinter package in Python, which allows custom design and programming to suit the user’s needs. For our applications, the GUI features Gaussian and Thomas-Fermi fitting functionality for atom number calibration, a zoom-in/zoom-out function to isolate the data, and automatic cross-sectional plots used to visualize the atomic density of the BEC in a two-dimensional space. In this poster, we will discuss the current status of the project as well as future directions for implementing this GUI in the lab.
Ultracold Atom Image Analysis GUI
Ultracold atoms, or atoms that have been cooled to temperatures very near absolute zero, are used to study a variety of fundamental physics concepts. These atoms behave quantum mechanically, which means that the atoms obey a different set of rules that are well defined by the theory of quantum mechanics. We manipulate these macroscopic systems by applying time-dependent magnetic and optical fields. After completing an experiment, we use absorption imaging techniques to image how the atoms have responded to these specific experimental parameters. These images are taken with a CCD camera and are passed back into the computer interface, where they need to be uploaded and quickly analyzed. In this project, we have developed a graphical user interface (GUI) using the Tkinter package in Python, which allows custom design and programming to suit the user’s needs. For our applications, the GUI features Gaussian and Thomas-Fermi fitting functionality for atom number calibration, a zoom-in/zoom-out function to isolate the data, and automatic cross-sectional plots used to visualize the atomic density of the BEC in a two-dimensional space. In this poster, we will discuss the current status of the project as well as future directions for implementing this GUI in the lab.