I will present a few projects in biomedical engineering – not necessarily directly optics-related – that used the knowledge and expertise of the FUW Division of Optics and ended with different outcomes.
Zapraszamy do sali 0.06, ul. Pasteura 5 o godzinie 10:15

Mariusz Gajda (IF PAN)
Ultracold atoms, since the first achievement of Bose-Einstein condensation in 1995, have proven to be an exceptionally versatile platform for studying a wide range of physical phenomena. These include nonlinear effects, superfluidity, quantized vortices, quantum magnetism, many-body correlations, localization effects, or exotic Hubbard systems, to name just a few. The rich internal structure of atoms and their sensitivity to external fields, both static and time-dependent, provide a unique opportunity to tune interatomic interactions, vary the effective dimensionality of the systems, and shape the external potentials experienced by them.In this talk, I will focus on the role of quantum fluctuations, which can stabilize ultracold systems by preventing their collapse and enabling the formation of self-bound systems known as ultradilute quantum liquid droplets. I will also describe the concept of supersolidity—systems that simultaneously exhibit properties of both superfluids and solids. Finally, novel supersolid systems, particularly those based on mixtures of ultracold bosonic and fermionic species, will be discussed.[1] Quantum Bose-Fermi Droplets, D. Rakshit, T. Karpiuk, M. Brewczyk, M. Gajda, SciPost Phys. 6, 079 (2019),[2] Self-Bound Bose-Fermi Liquids in Lower Dimensions, Debraj Rakshit et al. 2019 New J. Phys. 21 073027,[3] Supersolidity of dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates induced by coupling to fermions, M. Lewkowicz at al., arXiv:2401.05890.
Zapraszamy do sali 0.06, ul. Pasteura 5 o godzinie 10:15

Mikołaj Rogóż (IFD UW)
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are elastic polymers capable of reversibly changing shape under external stimuli. The type of deformation they exhibit is determined by the molecular order of the material, which can be achieved through various fabrication methods. These unique properties make LCEs ideal candidates for actuators in mechanics and soft robotics, applicable across different scales and environments. A significant challenge in LCE research remains the development of efficient fabrication techniques, which include methods such as direct laser writing, polymerization in sandwich-like cells, and sequential polymerization.In my talk, I will focus on two key aspects of LCE research: fabrication methods and their applications. First, I will introduce a novel technique for creating self-growing microstructures on optical fiber tips [1]. This approach enables the production of durable, microscale objects with well-oriented materials and offers a cost-effective, straightforward process. I will also discuss polymerization in sandwich-like cells [2], a widely utilized method inspired by techniques established in liquid crystal research over decades.The second part of my talk will explore applications of LCEs in soft robotics and micromechanics. I will present a sunlight-powered, self-oscillating system with potential applications in solar energy harvesting. Experimental results using natural sunlight and its artificial equivalent demonstrated oscillations with frequencies in the single-Hz range. Lastly, I will describe a method for optimizing swimming robots by combining optimization algorithms with experimental feedback. This approach, which employs genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimization, has enabled centimeter-scale underwater swimmers to achieve speeds of up to 10 cm/min.[1] M. Zmyślony, K. Dradrach, J. Haberko, P. Nałęcz‐Jawecki, M. Rogóż, and P. Wasylczyk, ‘Optical Pliers: Micrometer‐Scale, Light‐Driven Tools Grown on Optical Fibers’, Adv. Mater., vol. 32, no. 33, p. 2002779, Aug. 2020, doi: 10.1002/adma.202002779.[2] M. Rogóż, J. Haberko, and P. Wasylczyk, ‘Light-Driven Linear Inchworm Motor Based on Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators Fabricated with Rubbing Overwriting’, Materials, vol. 14, no. 21, p. 6688, Nov. 2021, doi: 10.3390/ma14216688.
Zapraszamy do sali 0.06, ul. Pasteura 5 o godzinie 10:15

Mateusz Bocheński (IFD UW)
Studies of fundamental physical phenomena with ultracold atoms, from superfluidity, through quantum simulators, to degenerate gases of polar molecules, require exquisite knowledge of collisional properties of atoms used in experiments. Theoretical predictions are usually based on scarce spectroscopic data and even for molecules like KCs, which have been extensively studied in hot vapors, theoretical understanding of ultracold properties of these molecules is rarely satisfactory. This necessitates the development of efficient cooling methods and extensive experimental studies of fine details of interactions between atoms to provide data for theoretical modeling.In the first part of the talk I will introduce our state-of-the-art experimental setup designed to study ultracold mixtures of cesium and potassium. The versatility of the apparatus will be demonstrated by individually cooling 39K, 40K, 41K, and 133Cs atoms as well as their mixtures. I will compare these findings with state of the art results from other research groups and highlight our achievement of the world’s first 39K-40K and 41K-133Cs mixtures. The second part of the talk will focus on Feshbach resonances spectroscopy of 39K-133Cs and 41K-133Cs mixtures. For 39K-133Cs, we provide the first independent verification of the 2017 results obtained by the group of H.-C. Nägerl (University of Innsbruck). The Feshbach spectrum of 41K-133Cs is demonstrated for the first time, showing significant disagreement with theoretical predictions. These results are vital for a deeper understanding of the collisional properties of cesium and potassium mixtures and are a prerequisite for advancing toward the formation of ultracold polar ground state molecules of KCs.