Tilman Esslinger is a distinguished German experimental physicist renowned for his pioneering contributions to quantum simulation and ultracold quantum gases. He currently serves as Full Professor and Chair of Quantum Optics at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, where he has led groundbreaking research since his appointment in October 2001. Esslinger received his PhD in Physics from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in 1995, working under Nobel laureate Theodor W. Hänsch on subrecoil laser cooling and optical lattices. His early career achievements included building his own research group in Hänsch's laboratory where he conducted pioneering work on atom lasers and observed long-range phase coherence in Bose-Einstein condensates, establishing him as a rising star in quantum physics.
Professor Esslinger is best known for his seminal work on quantum simulators using optical lattices, where he observed the quantum phase transition between a superfluid and a Mott insulator with Bose gases, a landmark achievement that has been cited thousands of times. His research group pioneered the realization of fermionic atoms in optical lattices to create the iconic Fermi-Hubbard model, enabling the study of quantum magnetism and fermionic Mott insulators that had previously only existed in theoretical frameworks. Further breakthroughs include designing optical lattices of tunable geometry to realize artificial graphene and Haldane's model for topological Chern insulators, as well as demonstrating the Dicke-model phase transition to a superradiant state using ultracold matter in optical cavities. His interdisciplinary research has provided an unprecedented view of quantum phase transitions and established a unique link between macroscopically observed quantum phenomena and microscopic description.
Beyond his direct research contributions, Esslinger has served as a thought leader in establishing quantum simulation as a critical approach to understanding complex quantum systems, with his techniques now widely adopted across the field. He previously headed the Department of Physics at ETH Zurich from 2013 to 2015 and served as Vice Director of the National Centre of Competence in Research Quantum Science and Technology from 2011 to 2022. His group continues to push boundaries with new research directions including the measurement of conductances in quantum gases where they demonstrated the equivalent of the thermoelectric effect and observed quantized conductances in neutral matter for the first time. With an ERC advanced grant supporting his ongoing work, Esslinger remains at the forefront of quantum simulation research, developing increasingly sophisticated quantum simulators to tackle fundamental questions in quantum many-body physics and inspire next-generation quantum technologies.
