Rachel E. Sapiro

resapiro (at) umich.edu


Education

PhD, Physics, University of Michigan, 2010

MS, Physics, University of Michigan, 2006

BA, Physics, Swarthmore College, PA, 2004

International Baccalaureate Diploma, Sonora High School, CA, 2000

Awards

2009: Rackham One-Term Dissertation Fellowship

2009: Wirt and Mary Cornwell Prize for intellectual curiosity and promise of original study and creative work in physics

2004-2005: FOCUS Graduate Fellowship

2000: National Merit Finalist

Research Experience

2010-present: Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Michigan
Rydberg Guiding, Bose-Einstein Condensation, Nanoparticle Trapping
Advisor: Prof. Georg Raithel

2005-2009: Graduate Student Research Assistant at University of Michigan
Bose-Einstein Condensation, Optical Lattices
Advisor: Prof. Georg Raithel

Summer 2003: Undergraduate Research Assistant at Aerospace Corporation
Innovative Materials
Advisor: Dr. Gary Hawkins

Spring/Summer 2002: Research Assistant at Swarthmore College
Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment; Plasma Blade
Advisor: Prof. Michael Brown

Summer 2001: Research Assistant at Swarthmore College
Neon Gas Cell Photoionization
Advisor: Prof. David Cohen

Teaching Experience

Sept 2005-April 2006: Graduate Student Instructor
Teaching intro physics labs

July 2005: TA for MMSS
TAing a two week physics class at a summer camp for high school students

September 2003-May 2004: Physics Clinic Coordinator
Organizing physics clinic, filling in for missing clinicians

January 2003-May 2004: Physics Clinician
Helping college students with physics homework

September-December 2003: Physics Grader
Grading introductory electromagnetism homework assignments

Publications

D.A. Anderson, A. Schwarzkopf, R.E. Sapiro, G. Raithel, "Production and trapping of cold circular Rydberg atoms," Phys. Rev. A 88, 031401(R) (2013).

M. Traxler, R.E. Sapiro, K. Lundquist, E.P. Power, G. Raithel, "Coupled internal-state and center-of-mass dynamics of Rydberg atoms in a magnetic guide," Phys. Rev. A 87, 053418 (2013).

R.E. Sapiro, B.N. Slama, G. Raithel, "Bragg scattering and Brownian motion dynamics in optically-induced crystals of sub-micron particles," Phys. Rev. E 87, 052311 (2013).

M. Traxler, R.E. Sapiro, C. Hempel, K. Lundquist, E.P. Power, G. Raithel, "Guiding of Rydberg atoms in a high-gradient magnetic guide," Phys. Rev. A 86, 023414 (2012).

A. Schwarzkopf, R.E. Sapiro, G. Raithel, "Imaging spatial correlations of Rydberg excitations in cold atom clouds," Phys. Rev. Lett. 107 103001 (2011).

R.E. Sapiro, R. Zhang, G. Raithel, "Atom interferometry schemes using Kapitza-Dirac scattering," Phys. Rev. A. 79, 043630 (2009).

R.E. Sapiro, R. Zhang, G. Raithel, "Reversible loss of superfluidity of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a 1-D optical lattice," New J. Phys. 11 013013 (2009).

R. Zhang, R.E. Sapiro, R.R. Mhaskar, G. Raithel, "Role of the Mean-field in Bloch Oscillations of a Bose-Einstein Condensate in an Optical Lattice and Harmonic Trap," Phys. Rev. A 78, 053607 (2008).

R. Zhang, R.E. Sapiro, N.V. Morrow, R.R. Mhaskar, G. Raithel, "Bose-Einstein condensate inside a Bragg-reflecting atom cavity," Phys. Rev. A 77, 063615 (2008).

R. Zhang, N.V. Morrow, R.E. Sapiro, P.R. Berman, G. Raithel, "Analysis of atomic density distributions in optical lattices using an optical mask," Optics Comm. 275, 311 (2007).

R. Zhang, R.E. Sapiro, N.V. Morrow, G. Raithel, "Transition of laser cooling between standard and Raman optical lattices," Phys. Rev. A 74, 033404 (2006).

Presentations

Rachel Sapiro, "Crystals Made of Light," Saturday Morning Physics (televised public lecture), Ann Arbor, MI, January 2012.

Rachel Sapiro, Georg Raithel, "Magneto-Optical Trap," AAPT Topical Conference on Advanced Laboratories, Ann Arbor, MI, July 2009.

Rachel Sapiro, David Anderson, Rui Zhang, Georg Raithel, "Charged impurities in a Bose-Einstein condensate," DAMOP, Charlottesville, VA, May 2009.

Rachel Sapiro, Rui Zhang, Georg Raithel, "BEC experiments at Michigan," Michigan Quantum Summer School, Ann Arbor, MI, June 2008.

Rachel Sapiro, Rui Zhang, Georg Raithel, "1-D Mott insulator transition of a Bose-Einstein condensate," DAMOP, State College, PA, May 2008.

Rachel Sapiro, Rui Zhang, Georg Raithel, "Interactions of low-energy ions and electrons with Bose-Einstein condensates," DAMOP, Calgary, AB, Canada, June 2007.

Rachel Sapiro, Rui Zhang, Natalya Morrow, Paul Berman, Georg Raithel, "Laser Cooling and Localization Measurements in a Raman Optical Lattice," DAMOP, Knoxville, TN, May 2006.