Nathan Schine Twists Photons and Cools Atoms in a Unique Quantum Dance
The newest JQI Fellow manipulates interactions between atoms and photons in novel, well-controlled ways to simulate difficult-to-observe quantum phenomena.
A Probe of Band Structure Singularities with a Lattice-Trapped Quantum Gas Abstract
Abstract: Ultracold-atom quantum simulators are powerful experimental tools that provide insight into the properties of crystalline solids. Important crystalline solid properties, such as electrical resistivity and optical absorption, are set by the crystal’s energy band structure (bands of the allowable energies of electrons in the potential generated by a lattice arrangement of atomic or molecular ions). However, it is not only the band structure that determines the properties of a crystal.
Vortex Majorana modes in trivial and topological superconductors
Abstract: In this talk, I will describe two distinct strategies for trapping Majorana zero modes (MZMs) with superconducting vortices. There exists a common belief that for s-wave superconductors, the existence of normal-state band topology, such as the topological Dirac surface state, is crucial for inducing vortex MZMs. We recently uncovered a striking example where nontrivial vortex Majorana physics arises in a trivial s-wave superconductor with a trivial normal state.
Recent Alumnus Embraced Community and Service at UMD
Joining a graduate program is not just about choosing a university and studying a subject. It’s also about joining a community of people who help shape the experience and can support and welcome people who are new to the world of academic research. Andrew Guo spent a lot of his time at UMD researching the underpinnings of quantum interactions and algorithms as a graduate student at JQI and QuICS. During that period he also made time to connect with surrounding communities and to invite other people to participate in physics and astronomy research through the graduate student organization called GRAD-MAP.
Integrated Optical Control of Atomic Systems
Abstract: Over the last decade, flat optical elements composed of an array of deep-subwavelength dielectric or metallic nanostructures of nanoscale thicknesses – referred to as metasurfaces – have revolutionized the field of optics. Because of their ability to impart an arbitrary phase, polarization or amplitude modulation to an optical wavefront as well as perform multiple optical transformations simultaneously on the incoming light, they promise to replace traditional bulk optics in applications requiring compactness, integration and/or multiplexing.
Spin cross-correlation experiments in a Cooper Pair Splitter
Correlations are fundamental in describing many body systems. However, in experiments, correlations are notoriously difficult to assess on the microscopic scale, especially for electron spins. While it is firmly established theoretically that the electrons in a Cooper pair of a superconductor form maximally spin-entangled singlet states with opposite spin projections, no spin correlation experiments have been demonstrated so far.
Novel Applications and Noise-enabled Control for a Trapped-ion Quantum Simulator
Trapped atomic ions are a highly versatile platform for quantum simulation and computation. In this talk, I will provide a brief description of the quantum control that enables both analog and digital modes of quantum simulation on this platform before reporting on two recent results: a digital quantum simulation that measured the first out-of-time-order correlators in a thermal system, and an analog simulation of particles with exotic statistics.
Tailoring three-dimensional topological codes for biased noise
(Pizza and refreshments will be served after the talk.)