Fiona Burnell
University of Minnesota

Abstract

There are a few well-known ways for quantum mechanical, many-body systems to avoid coming to thermal equilibrium. For example, we know of two classes of systems -- integrable systems, and many-body localized systems -- for which conservation laws prevent any eigenstate from reaching (conventional) thermal equilibrium. More recently, a much more subtle type of non-thermal quantum phenomenon has been discovered, dubbed many-body quantum scars. In these systems, a small number of eigenstates (and hence a small number of initial conditions) have non-thermal behavior, while most initial states will approach thermal equilibrium in the usual way. I will give a general picture of how and when this phenomenon arises, and discuss several examples of systems exhibiting exact quantum many-body scars.

 

Kevin Silverman
NIST (Boulder) Quantum Nanophotonics Group

Abstract

A quantum network will enable fundamentally new capabilities by linking remotely located quantum processors. NIST has recently funded a 5-year program to build a prototype system of linked superconducting qubits. With such a system in hand, it will be possible to study the metrology and standards necessary to support future networks. A major technological challenge is faithfully converting quantum information stored in the superconducting qubits to optical photons.  One promising scheme involves using surface acoustic wave cavities and semiconductor quantum dots.

 

George Fuller
UC San Diego

Abstract

Mysteries abound in the physics of neutrinos and related possible dark sectors. Early in its history, the universe is dominated by neutrinos, their energy density and interactions. The imminent advent of 30-m class telescopes and Stage-4 cosmic microwave background observatories promises to give us precision measurements of key parameters which are set in this epoch. For example, we may soon know to fair precision the amount of relic relativistic energy and the deuterium and helium abundances set during the time when the neutrinos fall out of thermal and chemical equilibrium (age ~ 1 s). Given the excitement and ferment right now surrounding new ideas in dark matter, dark sector, and other beyond standard model (BSM) physics, we would very much like to leverage these coming measurements into deeper insights into this epoch, in effect turning the early universe into a precision BSM physics laboratory. Doing so, however, requires theorists to "raise their game” in modeling the neutrino decoupling epoch. We will discuss these issues and reveal some surprising features of the universe when it was roughly one second in age.

 

Shohini Ghose
Wilfrid Laurier University

www.wlu.ca/science/sghose

Abstract

Quantum communication protocols offer the promise of enhanced security, privacy and efficiency for network communications.  A large-scale quantum internet would require the development of several components, including multiqubit state preparation, efficient and secure quantum channels, and quantum state measurements. This talk will describe our recent work on developing, assessing and improving multiqubit quantum protocols and resources for network communications, including controlled teleportation, key agreement and quantum private comparison.

 

Jens Dilling
TRIUMF & University of British Columbia

Abstract

Major advancements in unstable (radioactive) isotope synthesis at accelerator facilities coupled with development of precision atomic physics techniques for quantum manipulation opens opportunities for direct studies of these short-lives species. Many of the current questions in modern physics can be connected to a detailed understanding of such isotopes. For example, the nuclear evolution in the universe leading to the observed element abundances in our solar system, or the nature of neutrinos and the decay mechanism in double beta decay, but also tests of symmetries in fundamental physics laws are possible with radioactive isotopes. In this talk, an overview is given of state of the art isotope production capabilities at the TRIUMF ISAC and future ARIEL facilities, I will introduce ion trap-based precision tools for spectrometry and highlight recent experiments.

 

Jess McIver
University of British Columbia

Abstract

In less than five years, the field of gravitational wave astronomy has grown from a ground-breaking first discovery to revealing new populations of stellar remnants through distant cosmic collisions. LIGO-Virgo has now reported 50 known compact object mergers, including the recent first discovery of an intermediate mass black hole. I'll summarize recent results from LIGO-Virgo and their implications, give an overview of the instrumentation of the Advanced LIGO detectors, and discuss challenges for confidently recovering gravitational wave signals from glitchy, unpredictable Advanced LIGO detector data as well as prospects for the future of gravitational wave astrophysics. 

 

Ana Asenjo-Garcia
Columbia University

anaasenjogarcia.com/

Abstract

Tightly packed ordered arrays of atoms (or, more generally, quantum emitters) exhibit remarkable collective optical properties, as dissipation in the form of photon emission is correlated. In this talk, I will discuss the single-, few- and many-body out-of-equilibrium physics of 1D arrays, and their potential to realize versatile light-matter interfaces. For small enough inter-atomic distances, atomic chains feature dark states that allow for dissipationless transport of photons, behaving as waveguides for single-photon states. Atomic waveguides can be used to mediate interactions between impurity qubits coupled to the array, and allow for the realization of multiple paradigms in waveguide QED, from bandgap physics to chiral quantum optics [1]. Due to the two-level nature of the atoms, atomic waveguides are a perfect playground to realize strong photon-photon interactions. At the many-body level, I will address the open question of how the geometry of the array impacts the process of “Dicke superradiance”, where fully inverted atoms synchronize as they de-excite, emitting light in a burst (in contrast to the exponential decay expected from independent emitters). While most literature attributes the quenching of superradiance to Hamiltonian dipole-dipole interactions, the actual culprits are dissipative processes in the form of photon emission into different optical modes. I will provide an understanding of the physics in terms of collective jump operators and demonstrate that superradiance survives at small inter-atomic distances [2]. I will finish my talk by discussing the implications of correlated photon emission for quantum information processing and metrology.

[1] S. J. Masson, A. Asenjo-Garcia, Atomic-waveguide Quantum Electrodynamics, Physical Review Research 2, 043213 (2020).

[2] S. J. Masson, I. Ferrier-Barbut, L. A. Orozco, A. Browaeys, A. Asenjo-Garcia, Many-body signatures of collective decay in atomic chains, Physical Review Letters 125, 263601(2020)

Zoom Link – Ask Will Salmon or Stephen Hughes

Isabel Trigger
Research Scientist, TRIUMF

Abstract

The Large Hadron Collider and its detectors, including ATLAS, were designed not only to discover the Higgs boson (which they did), but also to map out its properties and interactions and those of the other massive particles: the weak gauge bosons and the top quark, produced in unprecedented numbers at the LHC. But ATLAS has another ongoing mission: to look for signs of new physics beyond the Standard Model, including searches for direct production of dark matter in proton-proton collisions. The talk will introduce the ATLAS detector and its multipurpose design, and then focus briefly on how ATLAS studies Higgs bosons and searches for dark matter.

 

Michael E. Reimer
Institute for Quantum Computing and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
University of Waterloo

Abstract

Quantum photonic devices are emerging from the lab toward real-world applications at an ever increasing pace. The applications range from the secure transfer of information for banking and communication, to quantum radar for national defense, assistance in search and rescue missions, to biomedical applications such as in dose monitoring for cancer treatment as well as in non-invasive imaging of the eye, to diagnose potentially blinding diseases. In these applications, new types of quantum photonic hardware are required including the cutting edge generation of entangled photon pairs and light detection at the single-photon level. In addition to these new types of quantum photonic hardware, manipulation of single photons on a chip is required for photonic quantum computing.

In my talk, I will discuss how we generate entangled photon pairs with semiconductor quantum dots in shaped nanowire waveguides [1, 2]. I will present our recent work towards engineering these sources to reach perfect entanglement with near-unity efficiency [3, 4, 5]. Currently, this is a feat not attainable with leading photon technologies based on parametric down-conversion due to the probabilistic nature of the generation process and self-assembled quantum dots due to dephasing processes and/or poor collection efficiency. I will also present how these quantum light sources can be integrated within a quantum photonic circuit on a silicon chip to route and filter single photons [6, 7].

Further to this, I will present our newest and most exciting work. We have developed a new type of quantum sensor that detects light over an unprecedented wavelength range, from the UV to near-infrared with high speed and timing resolution [8]. Lastly, I will illuminate how our nanostructure is uniquely shaped to achieve near-unity efficiency over the entire wavelength range, and show how we can extend the wavelength detection range to the infrared and beyond in the future, to continue changing the future of quantum photonic devices from the lab to the real world.

References

[1] M.A.M. Versteegh et al., Observation of strongly entangled photon pairs from a nanowire quantum dot, Nature Commun. 5, 5298 (2014).

[2] K.D. Jöns et al., Bright nanoscale source of deterministic entangled photon pairs violating Bell’s inequality, Scientific Reports 7, 1700 (2017).

[3] A. Fognini et al., Dephasing free photon entanglement with a quantum dot, ACS Photonics 6 (7), 1656-1663 (2019).

[4] A. Fognini et al., Universal fine-structure eraser for quantum dots, Optics Express 26 (19), 24487-22496 (2018).

[5] M. Zeeshan et al., Proposed scheme to generate bright entangled photon pairs by application of a quadrupole field to a single quantum dot, Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 227401 (2019).

[6] I.E. Zadeh et al., Deterministic integration of single photon sources in silicon based photonic circuits, Nano Lett. 16 (4), 2289-2294 (2016).

[7] A. Elshaari et al., On-chip single photon filtering and multiplexing in hybrid quantum photonic circuits, Nature Commun. 8, 379 (2017).

[8] S. Gibson et al., Nature Nanotechnology 14 (5), 473 (2019).

 

Zoom Link:

Email:  will.salmon@queensu.ca for zoom link.

 

 

 

Eric Hsiao
FSU

Abstract