Project Grant 2607767

The National Science Foundation Division of Physics awarded The Pennsylvania State University $386,605 on August 1, 2026, under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences program to conduct theoretical and experimental research on quantum dynamics in ultracold quantum gas systems.

The research explores thermalizing dynamics and mechanisms driving thermalization in confined systems, with specific focus on whether thermalization can occur under dynamics fully described by generalized hydrodynamics. The principal investigator will study the transition between near-integrable and thermalizing dynamics in collaboration with experimental groups working with ultracold Bose gases with contact interactions in one dimension, using generalized hydrodynamics and regular hydrodynamics to analyze dynamics following trap quenches at increasingly higher temperature initial states and in the presence of weak integrability-breaking periodic potentials. Parallel work examines trap quenches in the presence of dipolar interactions. The research also explores effects of kinematical constraints on equilibrium and dynamical properties across a wide range of models in collaboration with experimental groups working with Rydberg atom arrays featuring synthetic dimensions and quasiperiodic potentials, including study of eigenstate entanglement entropy, observable matrix element structure, equilibrium and excited state phase diagrams, and the fate of highly degenerate zero-energy subspaces in models exhibiting Hilbert space fragmentation and quantum many-body scars. The principal investigator will conduct outreach activities including pedagogical talks and demonstration presentations at local high schools and elementary schools.

Performance occurs at Penn State's University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania, with a period of performance through July 31, 2029.