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Lasers are often misunderstood, according to chemical physicist and JQI Fellow Yu Liu. “People usually think of lasers as heating things up, but if you use the right frequency of lasers and target the right type of atoms, you can actually take energy away,” Liu says. This technique—laser cooling—is his specialty.

She has been named one of Science News’s 10 “Scientists to Watch” for her pioneering work in quantum thermodynamics. Yunger Halpern blends historical concepts with modern technology to advance the understanding of small-scale systems like qubits.

What Swarnav Banik’s does might just be the future of transportation. Since 2022, he’s been working on sensing technology for the next generation of autonomous vehicles. In his work, Banik develops next-generation sensors that use lidar—light detection and ranging—technology to help autonomous vehicles “see” objects on the road ahead and safely avoid them. He first worked as a senior photonics engineer at Aurora Innovation, a company that’s developing self-driving systems for semitrucks and other commercial vehicles; now he’s at Aeva, a Silicon Valley firm developing sensing and perception tools for driverless cars and industrial automation.

The awards acknowledge the accomplishments and future potential of scientists and engineers who are 42 years old or younger.

JQI Fellow Alexey Gorshkov is a finalist in the physical sciences and engineering category of the 2024 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists. The annual awards acknowledge the accomplishments and future potential of scientists and engineers who are 42 years old or younger.

The prize recognizes his significant work in developing both theoretical foundations and practical applications for quantum computers.

Jason Youm, a high school student who performed summer research with JQI Fellow Alexey Gorshkov, placed in the top dozen competitors in the physics and astronomy category at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). He presented research completed under the mentorship of Gorshkov and JQI graduate student Joseph Iosue where he performed calculations to help investigate how quantum computers can perform certain tasks significantly faster than their traditional counterparts.

Her research bridges quantum optics and quantum information theory, enabling her to develop tailored quantum error correction codes by understanding specific noise in hardware, which leads to more efficient quantum systems and revives interest in customized error correction approaches in the field.

He was recognized for his pioneering contributions to the understanding, design and control of interacting quantum systems.

JQI Fellow Alexey Gorshkov has won the 2024 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Photonics Society Quantum Electronics Award.