Dr Alex Guttridge has been awarded a prestigious Royal Society University Research Fellowship. The Fellowship enables Dr Guttridge to research the topic of programmable assembly of ultracold molecules in optical lattices.
Pictured: Dr Alex Guttridge next to an optical bench with lasers from a state-of-the art quantum science experiment.
Dr Guttridge, from the Quantum Light and Matter (QLM) research group, focuses his current research on the study of individual ultracold molecules trapped in optical tweezers. Optical tweezers are tightly focused laser beams capable of trapping individual atoms or molecules, allowing unprecedented single-particle control over their position, motion and quantum state. Only in the past few years have molecules been trapped in optical tweezers. This Fellowship will allow Dr Guttridge to develop the world’s first experimental platform that combines ultracold molecules trapped in optical tweezers and optical lattices. This platform will push forward techniques for single molecule control and detection, offering programmable control of the quantum state and position of individual molecules.
Professor I G Hughes, Head of QLM, commented: “In the QLM section we are thrilled that the Dr Guttridge’s excellence has been rewarded and look forward to significant breakthroughs in the burgeoning field of controlled quantum systems.”
Head of Department, Professor Paula Chadwick added “This is great news and shows that Durham Physics is at the forefront of state-of-the-art experiments in the cutting-edge fields of quantum science and technology. This award, in addition to the recent Fellowships awarded to Dr Hannah Williams and Dr Phil Gregory, emphasises the high quality of the quantum research done in the department.”
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