UMD Physics - AMO Release

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXPANDS
AMO PHYSICS RESEARCH
Dedication Ceremony Celebrates Growth of World-Class AMO Initiative

What:	Dedication ceremony of recently expanded Atomic Molecular & Optical (AMO) physics laboratories, marking significant growth in Maryland's physics research and another step in the university's rise among top public research institutions.
Who:	Celebrating Maryland AMO Physicists include:
	Dr. William D. Phillips (1998 Nobel Laureate) -	laser cooling & trapping
	Dr. Wendell T. Hill, III-	atom optics and quantum information/freezing ultra-fast dynamics with light
	Dr. Howard M. Milchberg-	intense laser matter interactions
	Dr. Luis A. Orozco-	quantum optics and precision spectroscopy
	Dr. Steven L. Rolston-	ultracold atoms and plasmas
When:	Wednesday, May 12, 2004 at 3:00pm
Where:	University of Maryland Campus Grassy Knoll Adjacent to Computer & Space Sciences Building

College Park, MD - May 10, 2004 - The University of Maryland celebrates the significant expansion of its research program in atomic, molecular and optical (AMO) physics with a dedication ceremony on May 12, 2004. This AMO physics initiative, led by Nobel Laureate William D. Phillips, is one example of the University's many rapidly growing research programs that have a significant impact on the University of Maryland, the scientific community and the Greater Baltimore/Washington, DC area.

This latest leap forward for AMO physics at Maryland began approximately two years ago when Dr. William D. Phillips, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Physics, joined the University of Maryland Department of Physics with aims to significantly grow the University's AMO physics program. Shortly thereafter, the University recruited Dr. Steven Rolston from the National Institute for Science and Technology and Dr. Luis Orozco from Stony Brook University, two of the world's top scientists in the field of AMO physics.

The University of Maryland already has a strong foundation in the field of AMO physics with the outstanding research of Dr. Wendell T. Hill, III and Dr. Howard M. Milchberg. Adding these three new high-caliber physicists will propel this initiative to international prominence.

The AMO Dedication Ceremony will begin at 3:00pm with brief remarks from university administrators, followed by a light fare reception and tours of the AMO Physics laboratories. The lab tours will highlight work in the areas of atom optics and quantum information, freezing ultra-fast dynamics with light, intense laser matter interactions, quantum optics and precision spectroscopy and ultra-cold atoms and plasmas. (Please click here for more information on each of these laboratories)

The AMO Dedication Ceremony is proudly hosted by the University of Maryland, the College of Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, the Department of Physics and the Institute for Physical Science and Technology.

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CONTACT: Karrie Sue Hawbaker 301-405-5945 __________karrie@physics.umd.edu