The concept of complexity applies to a system that is composed of many components, whose interactions lead to collective behavior and emergent properties that cannot be understood purely from the microscopic features of the constituents. Such emergent phenomena are abundant and nature is full of examples of self-organization, from the flocking of birds to the formation of galaxies in our universe. Correspondingly, complex quantum systems are many-body systems, whose microscopic building blocks are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics. Here, quantum effects, such as interference, entanglement, or quantum tunneling can give rise to fascinating macroscopic phenomena, such as the onset of lasing or the emergence of superfluidity in a liquid.

Within CCQ, we seek to develop new concepts for realizing, steering and measuring complex quantum dynamics in hybrid quantum systems composed of atoms, ions, and light.