Stefan Kuhr is the Head of the Physics Department and a specialist in experimental ultracold-atom physics, quantum optics, and quantum simulation. His research focuses on the trapping and manipulation of single or very few quantum objects. Stefan has made significant contributions to quantum simulation, notably as a co-inventor of the quantum-gas microscope, which has opened many new avenues in quantum information and quantum simulation. At the University of Strathclyde, his team achieved the first quantum-gas microscope with fermionic atoms. Earlier in his career, Stefan worked with Physics Nobel Laureate Serge Haroche to observe quantum jumps of a light field for the first time. During his PhD work in Bonn, Stefan developed a deterministic single-atom source.

My research focuses on the single-site resolved detection and manipulation of atoms in optical lattices. A significant highlight from 2024 was the publication of our paper in Nature Communications titled "Commensurate and Incommensurate 1D Interacting Quantum Systems" [Nat. Comm. 15, 474 (2024)]. This work presents a well-controlled quantum system with three to six atoms in a one-dimensional optical lattice with dynamically programmable light potentials. We demonstrated the ability to dynamically alter the number of available lattice sites, transitioning the system from commensurate to incommensurate filling. Currently, we are investigating other intriguing many-body phases in disordered optical lattices and restricted geometries. Additionally, we have conducted studies on enhancing arbitrary light potentials [Sci. Rep. 13, 3252 (2023)] and optimizing single-atom image analysis [New J. Phys. 25, 083086 (2023)]. My research subjects also include solitons and instabilities in optical lattices [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 234603 (2021); ibid. 125, 183602 (2020); ibid. 123, 123602 (2019)]. Earlier, my team achieved the first realization of a quantum-gas microscope with fermionic atoms [Nature Physics 11, 738 (2015)], which was recognized as one of the 'Highlights of the Year' by the American Physical Society in 2015.