BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:Icfo X-PUBLISHED-TTL:P1W BEGIN:VEVENT UID:69d59d04a21a8 DTSTART:20240607T100000Z SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE DTEND:20240607T110000Z LOCATION:ICFO Auditorium SUMMARY:ICFO | ORIOL ROMERO-ISART CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: \;\nBIO:\nProf Oriol Romero-Isart obtained his PhD in 2008 at the Universitat Autò\;noma de Barcelona\, after which he carried out postdoctoral research at the theory division of the Max-Planck Instit ute of Quantum Optics in Munich. In 2013 he became professor at the Univer sity of Innsbruck and started his own group at the Institute for Quantum O ptics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) Innsbruck\, later also assuming the role of Deputy Managing Director of IQOQI. His research group\, which has recently moved to ICFO\, focuses on macroscopic quantum optics and studies whether there is a limit to mass and complexity for observing unambiguous quantum phenomena. In February 2024\, ICFO&rsquo\;s Board of \; Trust ees approved his appointment as director of the institute\, beginning Sept ember 2024.\nABSTRACT: \nIn recent years\, advancements in optically levit ated nanoparticles have enabled the cooling of their center-of-mass motion to the quantum ground state. As a result\, a nanoparticle\, which compris es billions of atoms\, becomes delocalized over picometer scales. This tal k aims to explore the challenges and requirements of achieving a macroscop ic quantum superposition of a nanoparticle\, in which the center-of-mass p osition is delocalized over orders of magnitude larger scales. We will dis cuss an experimentaly feasible approach that employs fast quantum dynamics in nonharmonic potentials to meet the stringent requirements imposed by e nvironmentally-induced decoherence. The generation of such macroscopic qua ntum states would test quantum mechanics at unprecedented scales\, develop highly sensitive detectors of external signals\, and address fundamental questions\, such as the nature of the gravitational field generated by a d elocalized mass source. DTSTAMP:20260408T001044Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR