Atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics represents the field of science in which matter-matter and light-matter interactions on the scale of single atoms or structures containing a few atoms are studied
Atomic physics (AP) is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and the processes by which these arrangements change, e.g. by interaction with light.
Molecular physics (MP) focuses on molecular (multi-atomic) structures, their properties, and their internal and external interactions with matter and light.
Optical physics (OP) is mainly concerned by the fundamental properties of electromagnetic radiation and its interactions with matter, especially its manipulation and control. It is often (although not always) related to the two field fields above (AP and MP) but also to fields such as quantum mechanics and photonics.
At the Department of Physics, we have presently ongoing activities in the following areas of AMO Physics:
