JILA X317

Quantum computing has developed from mathematical applications of fundamental quantum mechanics to the realization of an actual multiple qubit computational platform, called IBM-Q, that is accessible to external users. I will give an overview of quantum computing methodologies but focus more specifically on IBM’s approach utilizing Josephson Junctions imbedded in resonator structures that operate at 10 mK. In addition to discussing the mathematical basis of quantum computing, I’ll describe several key quantum gates and how they are implemented in a quantum computer.

KMLabs and IMEC have partnered to create a new laboratory to explore fundamental material and photochemistry processes critical for scaling in the 300B$ semiconductor industry.  The foundation of semiconductors is the lithography process use to create the individual patterns on chips, and the next generation 13.5nm lithography systems are limited by the photochemistry of these systems.  To address, a set of both old and new techniques are being created in a system to investigate photochemistry for EUV lithography: the fundamental nature of EUV exposure is very different, and fundamentally l

Ultracold atomic gases with tunable interactions offer an ideal platform for studying interacting quantum matter. While the few- and many-body physics are generally complex and intractable, the problem can be greatly simplified in an atomic gas by a controlled separation of relevant length and energy scales. Precise control of experimental parameters, via Feshbach resonances, optical potentials and radio-frequency radiation, enables deterministic measurements of few-body physics, including universal physics and the Efimov effect.

Molecular physics has experienced groundbreaking progresses in the fields of precision spectroscopy, chemical reaction kinetics, and quantum state engineering and many-body physics. In order to better observe these phenomena, there is an insatiable pursuit of larger trapped molecular densities and longer lifetimes. Here, I will present several key milestones that we have recently achieved towards these goals for hydroxyl radicals. First, we discovered an enhanced spin-flip behavior of dipolar molecules due to the existence of dual (electric and magnetic) dipole moments.

Ferromagnetic materials have strong electron correlations that drive quantum effects and make the physics that describes them extremely challenging. In particular, the electron, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom can interact in surprising ways when driven out of equilibrium by ultrafast laser excitation. In this thesis we explore several previously unexpected connections between electronic and spin systems in ferromagnetic materials. In both systems, dynamics occur at unexpectedly fast timescales, driven using femtosecond laser excitation pulses.

Structured light, which is composed of custom-tailored light waves possessing nontrivial intensity, polarization, and phase, has emerged in recent decades as a powerful tool for probing and controlling light-matter interactions, finding wide-reaching applications in fields ranging from microscopy, to scientific/industrial imaging, lithography, and even to forensic science.

The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond is an atomic-scale defect that exhibits robust, coherent quantum properties over a wide temperature range. NV centers are being explored for a variety of quantum technologies, including quantum sensing and quantum information processing. As a relatively new tool in the realm of condensed matter magnetometry, NVs offer a unique combination of high-spatial resolution and excellent magnetic field sensitivity.

An wavefunction plays a central role in quantum mechanics. According to Max Born’s statistical interpretation, square of the amplitude of an electron wavefunction times a unit volume represent a probability to find an electron in the volume. Since an electron has a wave nature, the wavefunction is characterized by phase as well as amplitude. The phase is important for understanding a selectivity of chemical reaction.

Color centers in diamond are promising candidates for quantum networks, as they can serve as solid state quantum memories with efficient optical transitions. Prior work has focused on the NV- center in diamond, which exhibits long spin coherence times and has narrow, spin-conserving optical transitions. However, the NV- center is prone to spectral diffusion, and over 97% of emission is in an incoherent phonon side band, severely limiting scalability.

Electron recollision in an intense laser field gives rise to a variety of phenomena, ranging from electron diffraction to coherent soft X-ray emission. We have, over the years, developed intense sources of waveform-controlled mid-IR light to exploit the process with respect to ponderomotive scaling, quantum diffusion and quasi-static photoemission. I will describe how we leverage these aspects to “teach” molecules to take a selfie while undergoing structural change.