Topological Quantum Matter: Bridging Theory and Experiment
Dissertation Committee Chair: Victor Galitski (Chair) and Mohammad Hafezi (Co-Chair)
Committee:
Alexey Gorshkov
Victor Albert
Ichiro Takeuchi
Hafezi Receives Humboldt Research Award
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has honored JQI Fellow Mohammad Hafezi for his impactful research and will support him visiting Germany to collaborate in person with colleagues there.
New Protocol Demonstrates and Verifies Quantum Speedups in a Jiffy
Researchers at JQI and the University of Maryland (UMD) have discovered a new way to quickly check the work of a quantum computer. They proposed a novel method to both demonstrate a quantum device’s problem-solving power and verify that it didn’t make a mistake. They described their protocol in an article published March 5, 2025, in the journal PRX Quantum.
3D-Printed Polymer Wires Enhance Quantum Light Technology
JQI Fellow Kartik Srinivasan and his colleagues have introduced an innovative method for improving single-photon collection—an essential step in advancing secure communications, high-precision imaging and quantum computing. By integrating new fabrication techniques, the research teams demonstrated a scalable and highly adaptable approach to guiding single photons efficiently into optical fibers.
Rydberg Atoms, Photonic Devices, and Graduate Student Mental Health: Embracing Complexity and Care in Physics
Dissertation Committee Chair: Steve Rolston, Trey Porto (co-chairs)
Committee:
Alan Migdall
Chandra Turpen
Tom Murphy (Dean’s Representative)
The Rayleigh-Taylor instability in a binary quantum fluid
Abstract: Instabilities, where initially small fluctuations seed the formation of large-scale structures, govern the dynamics in wide variety of fluid flows. The Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) is an iconic example that leads to the development of mushroom-shaped incursions when immiscible fluids are accelerated into each other. RTI drives structure formation throughout science and engineering including table-top oil and water mixtures; supernova explosions; and inertial confinement fusion. Despite its ubiquity, controlled laboratory RTI experiments are technically challenging.
Time Crystal Research Enters a New Phase
JQI researchers identified a set of promising ingredients for making time crystals. With those ingredients in mind, they developed a new theoretical framework that they hope will put time crystals research on an equal footing with the study of traditional phases of matter.
Certified Randomness from a Trapped-Ion Quantum Processor
Abstract: Recently, an experiment using a quantum processor realized a protocol for ‘Certified Randomness’, generating remotely verifiable randomness appealing for applications involving mutually untrusting parties. This protocol builds on the success of pushing the ability of quantum computers to perform beyond-classical computational tasks and leverages the classical hardness of sampling from random quantum circuits to certify 70 kbits of entropy against a realistic adversary using best-known attacks.