Thesis defense of Gabriel EMPERAUGER

Thesis defense of Gabriel EMPERAUGER, PhD student in the Quantum Optics group of the Laboratoire Charles Fabry, on 04 March 2025 at 02:00pm in the Auditorium of the Institut d'Optique Graduate School in Palaiseau, on the topic: "Preparation and characterisation of correlated spin states with a Rydberg atom quantum simulator."

Abstract: "This thesis focuses on the development of experimental tools and protocols for the study of correlated spin systems, from their preparation to their characterization. The experimental setup relies on trapping individual rubidium atoms in optical tweezers, arranged in one- or two-dimensional arrays. Once excited to Rydberg states, the atoms interact pairwise, effectively described by spin models—allowing us to perform quantum simulations of these models. The overarching goal is to better understand the mechanisms at play in strongly correlated states of matter, which are notoriously difficult to simulate when the number of spins becomes large."