New start grant - atomic and molecular physics (AMP) (quantum simulation of multi-component droplets: many-body phases and correlated non-equilibrium dynamics)

The Department of the Army Materiel Command Research Development and Engineering Command awarded San Diego State University Foundation $122,064 on March 1, 2026, under the Basic Scientific Research program (CFDA 12.431) to support quantum simulation of multi-component droplets and the study of many-body phases and correlated non-equilibrium dynamics.

Work is performed in San Diego, California, through February 28, 2029. The award funds theoretical and computational research in atomic and molecular physics, delivered by the principal investigator and supporting research team at San Diego State University Research Foundation.

Missouri University of Science & Technology serves as a sub-recipient on the project through a sub-award obligated May 6, 2026. An early-career investigator at Missouri S&T leads computational and analytical work including three-dimensional numerical simulations using extended Gross-Pitaevskii equations, ab-initio many-body simulations using Multi Layer Multi-Configuration time-dependent Hartree methods for atomic mixtures, and analytical calculations for extracting relevant equations and effective reduction models. The sub-recipient will supervise a postdoctoral researcher conducting extensive numerical computations and analysis, and a graduate student examining supersolid configurations under spin-orbit coupling and their sensing applications. Weekly coordination meetings with the San Diego State University principal investigator and theory team are planned throughout the project period.