Quantum science is an interdisciplinary research field at the intersection of atomic physics, quantum optics and solid-state physics. The common goal is to control quantum systems with high fidelity and to exploit this for fundamental studies and technological applications. Impressive progress has been made on a variety of platforms, including ultracold atoms and ions, superconducting devices, solid-state spin systems, semiconductor quantum dots, and nanomechanical oscillators. One of the current challenges is to interface quantum systems of different nature in order to take advantage of their complementary properties, such as long coherence times in atoms and fast interactions in the solid state.

In this talk I will present our activities in interfacing atoms with different solid-state systems. In a first experiment we have coupled a nanomechanical oscillator to an ensemble of laser-cooled atoms [1]. The coupling allows us to realize novel cooling schemes for mechanical motion and to explore the possibilities for mechanical quantum control. In a second experiment we interface atoms and semiconductor quantum dots [2]. Our goal is to store single photons emitted from a quantum dot in an atomic quantum memory. This capability is essential for realizing quantum networks, which will find applications in quantum communication and computing.