Ongoing Research

Exploring Non-Hermitian Physics and Exceptional Points in Cold Atoms

Master’s Thesis (Jan 2026 – Present)
Supervisor: Dr. Ashok Mohapatra | National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER)

• Optical Infrastructure & Recommissioning: Recommissioned an existing ⁸⁷Rb cold-atom setup by designing and building the complete optical cooling and repumper beamlines, polarization-control optics, and absorption imaging systems.

• Cooling & Atomic Cloud Optimization: Established the ⁸⁷Rb Magneto-Optical Trap (MOT) and implemented and optimised sub-Doppler optical molasses cooling to maximize cloud phase-space density and minimize thermal expansion.
• Current Experimental Direction: Engineering an effective non-Hermitian Hamiltonian in cold atomic vapors utilizing polarization-dependent atom-light interactions (Faraday and Voigt effects). Currently conducting polarimetric measurements to detect qualitative transmission and birefringence signatures near exceptional points in polarization space.
• Physical Objective: Investigating topological mode-switching and examining the predicted boundaries of enhanced parameter sensitivity around non-Hermitian exceptional points.