Mark Beck obtained his BS in Optics from the University of Rochester. He did one year of graduate study at Stanford University before returning to the University of Rochester and obtaining his PhD in Optics in 1992. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oregon, and taught physics at Reed College. In 1996 he joined the faculty of the Department of Physics at Whitman College. His areas of research specialization are quantum optics and quantum measurement. Recently he has worked on developing new undergraduate quantum mechanics teaching laboratories, as well as developing instrumentation and techniques for making these laboratories accessible to a wide range of institutions. He is the author of Quantum Mechanics: Theory and Experiment, which will be published by Oxford University Press in 2012.
Dr. Mark Beck, Benjamin Brown Professor of Physics, Whitman College Department of Physics, 345 Boyer Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362. Email: beckmk@whitman.edu. Telephone: 509-527-5260
In this Immersion, participants will learn to perform advanced undergraduate laboratory experiments which explore modern aspects of quantum mechanics. The laboratories all involve studying the behavior of single photons and correlated photon pairs, and include experiments on “proving” that light contains photons, single-photon interference, and tests of local realism. Additionally, the Immersion will contain discussion of the physics behind these experiments, and how they can be integrated with a junior/senior level quantum mechanics course.
The light source for all of the experiments uses a blue diode laser to pump a nonlinear crystal, which produces photon pairs via spontaneous parametric downconversion. The photons are detected with single photon counting modules, and the photon-count data is further processed with an FPGA-based coincidence counting unit. Final data acquisition and analysis is performed on a PC using LabVIEW. Participants will become familiar with all aspects of the apparatus. All equipment necessary to perform these experiments (including safety equipment) will be provided, and participants will not need to bring anything.
During each session there will be time devoted to discussing the theory underpinning the experiments, as well as suggestions for integrating the experiments with a quantum mechanics course. For more information on the experiments, please visit http://www.whitman.edu/~beckmk/QM/.