PQI 2022
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New Pittsburgh Quantum Institute (PQI) Director Named
Last month, the founding director of PQI, Jeremy Levy, stepped down from the position. PQI was founded in 2012 with the mission “to help unify and promote quantum science and engineering in Pittsburgh,” and Jeremy and PQI succeeded in doing exactly that.
This month, we are excited to announce that Adam Leibovich will serve as the new Director for a three-year term (renewable).
His long experience leading and growing essential parts of the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, coupled with his extensive and successful research program, and his...
Dickey Wins Sosman Award
Elizabeth Dickey is the recipient of the 2023 Sosman Award in recognition of outstanding achievement in basic science that results in a significant impact and advancement in the field of ceramics. The Robert B. Sosman Award is the highest recognition of scientific accomplishment given by the Basic Science Division of ACerS and is given in recognition of outstanding achievement in basic science of an area that results in a significant impact to the field of ceramics. The award will be presented at a plenary lecture at MS&T in October.
Want to promote diversity in science? Offer better support.
Growing up in Patna, India, I imagined that there would be a better representation of women in physics in the United States. But after arriving at the University of California, Santa Barbara, to begin my graduate studies in 1988, I was sorely disappointed to learn that I was the only woman in a class of 36 PhD students.
The situation has improved marginally since then. In 2019, for example, women received 20% of both undergraduate and PhD degrees in physics in the . . .
Vincent Sokalski receive grant for AMPED Consortium
Congratulations to Vincent Sokalski for winning a grant for the AMPED Consortium. Read the CMU MSE article below!
McHenry, Sokalski receive planning grant for Advanced Magnetics for Power and Energy Development (AMPED) Consortium. The Advanced Magnetics for Power and Energy Development (AMPED) Consortium has received a planning grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its prestigious Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers Program (IUCRC).
University of Pittsburgh researchers develop new modular-based system for quantum computers
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have successfully developed and patented a new modular-based system for connecting together qubits — a unit of measurement and a building block behind quantum computing.
In modern computing, computers use bits of information to solve problems, amid a myriad of other applications that computers can do. The bits that make up modern computers consist of ones and zeros, a signal that translates to being either on and off.
PQI Seminar: Dr. Mario Hofmann, Dr. Ya-Ping Hsieh
Dr. Mario Hofmann and Dr. Ya-Ping Hsieh from the National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica gave a talk titled "Why and How to Integrate 2D Materials in Future Electronics" in the Pittsburgh Quantum Institute Fall Seminar series on Nov. 17th, 2020.
Abstract: 2D materials are atomically thin nanostructures that are considered enabling elements in future electronics due to their unique geometry and exciting physical properties. To realize such applications, however, challenges in materials quality and production have to be addressed. In this talk we will first introduce a novel growth method that can enhance the scale, reliability, and controllability of 2D materials synthesis. Through control of the gas phase kinetics of the chemical vapor deposition process, efficient 2D materials growth could be achieved in atomically confined conditions. This advance permits the synthesis of 2D materials, such as graphene and TMDCs, at unprecedented scale and at crystalline qualities that rival exfoliated materials. Moreover, synthesis in the van-der-Waals gap of a host 2D material is demonstrated to facilitate a novel 2D crystallization process that yields novel transition-metal monochalcogenides with unexpected thermodynamic properties and finely adjustable thickness. Finally, the atomic length scales in confined growth enable controllable multi-precursor synthesis of diluted magnetic semiconductor 2D materials. The high quality of thus grown materials reveal novel interfacial ordering effects of 2D materials that are fundamentally different from bulk and present both challenges and opportunities towards their integration in electronics. Organization of ionic impurities on high quality graphene was shown to introduce a novel scattering process, that modulates graphene’s mobility by six times and is independent of charge concentration, necessitating improvements in materials’ characterization and handling. On the other hand, ordering effects at 2D materials interfaces can provide routes towards enhanced fabrication and performance of electronic devices. Interaction of graphene surfaces with gaseous adsorbates was shown to stabilize graphene in chemical reactions, permitting atomic-precision lithography approaches for large-scale semiconductor fabrication. Finally, assembly of monolayer water films on graphene under nanomechanical confinement was shown to produce a novel ferroelectric ice phase that can be exploited in mechanical memristive devices.
PQI Seminar: Dr. David Wallace
Dr. Dave Wallace from the University of Pittsburgh gave a talk titled "What is 'Orthodox' Quantum Mechanics?" in the Pittsburgh Quantum Institute Fall Seminar series on Nov. 12th, 2020.
Abstract: What is called "orthodox'' quantum mechanics, as presented in standard foundational discussions, relies on two substantive assumptions --- the projection postulate and the eigenvalue-eigenvector link --- that do not in fact play any part in practical applications of quantum mechanics. I argue for this conclusion on a number of grounds, but primarily on the grounds that the projection postulate fails correctly to account for repeated, continuous and unsharp measurements (all of which are standard in contemporary physics) and that the eigenvalue-eigenvector link implies that virtually all interesting properties are maximally indefinite pretty much always. I present an alternative way of conceptualizing quantum mechanics that does a better job of representing quantum mechanics as it is actually used, and in particular that eliminates use of either the projection postulate or the eigenvalue-eigenvector link, and I reformulate the quantum measurement problem within this new presentation of orthodoxy.
PQI Seminar: Dr. Chris Lirakis
Dr. Chris Lirakis from IBM-Q gave a talk titled "What does it Take to Build a Quantum Computer" in the Pittsburgh Quantum Institute Fall Seminar series on Oct. 1st, 2020.
Abstract: IBM has been working on realizing a quantum computer since the idea first surfaced in 1982. Early instantiations were photon-based and proved that indeed bit like information could be stored in a quantum state. Since then many different modalities have sprung up, Trapped Ions and Superconducting qubits being the most popular. The IBM systems are on the path to error correction. However, we still have a long way to go. The path to success will be paved by wide scale acceptance and training in these using this new computational paradigm. All manner of expertise will be important on the road to success. Beyond the need for experts in quantum computation, the nation will need experts in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and other disciplines. During this talk I will show how IBM is using superconducting technology as quantum bits (qubits) and all of the ancillary technology along with notions of the types of problems we wish to solve. The goal is to show how each of this disciplines can help on the path to large scale system.
PQI Profiles: Hideo Mabuchi
Professor Hideo Mabuchi from Stanford University talks about joining the Caltech faculty straight out of graduate school, coherent Ising machines, and learning to take oneself seriously.
Hideo Mabuchi received an AB in Physics from Princeton and a PhD in Physics from Caltech. He served as Chair of the Department of Applied Physics at Stanford from 2010-2016. His early scientific research was focused on understanding open quantum systems, quantum measurement, and the quantum-to-classical transition. In recent years his research group has turned towards fundamental issues of quantum engineering, such as quantum nonlinear dynamics, quantum feedback control and quantum model reduction. Along the way his group has also worked substantially on single-molecule biophysics, quantum information science, and quantum materials. In parallel with directing his group's sponsored research, Hideo has developed a deep personal interest in exploring the interfaces of modern science with traditional craft, aesthetic philosophy and new materialism. He has been experimenting with novel teaching initiatives to help resurrect the ideals of liberal education in the modern university.