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Title: Introduction to ‘Circuit QED’

Abstract: The fundamental quantum interactions between matter and electromagnetic fields have profound effects: the energy levels of atoms are modified by the Lamb shift due to zero-point fluctuations of the vacuum and excited atoms decay by spontaneously emitting photons. The study of these effects in quantum electrodynamics (“QED”) has now been extended to “Circuit QED” in which giant millimeter-sized artificial atoms (superconducting qubits) are coupled to microwave photons trapped inside electrical circuits. Remarkable theoretical and experimental developments in circuit QED in recent decades have opened up a completely new regime in which to study non-linear quantum optics and given us the means to build advanced quantum computers and simulators. It is also now possible to detect single microwave photons even though their energy is smaller than that of optical photons by five orders of magnitude. This has led to two recent quantum sensing breakthroughs: detection of the NMR signal from the flipping of a single nuclear spin, and new techniques to speed up the search for axion dark matter.
 
 
 

Title: The Second Quantum Revolution and the Race to Build “Impossible” Computers 

Abstract: The first quantum revolution brought us the great technological advances of the 20th century—the transistor, the laser, the atomic clock and GPS, the global positioning system. We now realize that this 20th century hardware does not take full advantage of the power of quantum machines. A second quantum revolution is underway based on our relatively new understanding of how information can be stored, manipulated, and communicated using strange quantum hardware that is neither fully digital nor fully analog. This talk will give a gentle introduction to the basic concepts that underlie this quantum information revolution and describe major challenges as well as recent remarkable experimental progress in the race to build quantum machines for computing, sensing and communication.
 

Unable to attend in person? Watch the Livestream on YouTube
 

Title:  Seeing the world in a grain of sand, and eternity in a picosecond

Abstract: A remarkable aspect of physics is its ability to reveal what Feynman called the “underlying unity of nature”: the universality of emergent phenomena across vastly different energy, length, and time scales. In this talk, I will present two of our recent experiments on the nonlinear electrodynamic response of materials over picosecond timescales that illustrate this universality in striking ways. First, I will describe our observation of an emergent particle, the phason, acquiring mass in a charge density wave (CDW) material, confirming a theoretical prediction from over 40years ago. This mass acquisition occurs due to the same mechanism by which elementary particles in the universe gain mass. Next, I will discuss our recent discovery of a dynamic magneto-chiral instability that amplifies propagating terahertz (THz) waves in a structurally chiral material. This phenomenon parallels the chiral plasma instability in high-energy and nuclear physics, revealing deep connections between the nonequilibrium electrodynamics of electrons in chiral materials and of quarks in the universe’s primordial liquid.

Title: Visualizing Strongly Interacting Quantum Matter in Two-dimensional Materials

Abstract: 
The advent of two-dimensional materials and their stacks have revolutionized our ability to engineer novel states of matter, especially those with strong interaction and topological properties. The ability to visualize these states with the scanning tunneling microscopy and related techniques materials are also making it possible to study interacting systems from unprecedented microscopic perspective. In this talk, I will describe some of these experiments that include direct visualization of Wigner crystal phases and study of fractional quantum Hall states with high spatial and energy resolution. I will also describe how these experiments created the opportunity to probe single anyons and their novel properties.

Abstract: Planets are born in dusty, gas-rich disks around young stars, and the properties of planetary systems, including their architectures, atmospheres, and potential habitability, reflect the conditions in these birth environments. In this talk, I will show how facilities such as the ALMA radio telescope and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are transforming our ability to probe the structure, composition, and chemistry of protoplanetary disks. These observations show that disks are not smooth and featureless, but instead are full of rings, gaps, and spirals that play a key role in shaping how and where planets form. I will also highlight our efforts to develop new methods to identify the chemical fingerprints of protoplanets still embedded in their natal disks. Finally, I will look ahead to how the next generation of wideband radio telescopes will open new frontiers in disk chemistry, planet formation, and molecular astrophysics

Learn best practices when applying to graduate schools

You are thinking about going to graduate school. But there you have many questions: 

• How to select a school? There are so many choices ...

• Schools are asking for a statement. What should I write? What should I include? What are they looking for? 

• I need three letters of recommendations. What do I do? I hardly know any professors. 

• My GPA is 3.6. What are my chances for admission to (xyz)? 

   

A Panel Will Provide Some Useful Perspectives

The panel will include:  

Our Director of Graduate Studies, Jorge Vignal, who will provide the perspective of the admissions committee; 

A faculty member who will provide the perspective of a letter of recommendation letter writer; 

A couple of recent admitted graduate students who will talk about their recent experience applying to graduate schools (and being accepted!).  

Register Here

Title: When a Symmetry Breaks

Abstract: What is common among a magnet, a halibut, a rack of laundry, cubes of ice, superconductor, and the Higgs boson? The concept of spontaneous symmetry breaking is a common theme for many natural phenomena. I'll describe the basic concept and its applications. In particular, the original concepts from Anderson, Nambu, Goldstone, and Higgs do not quite work in many systems that include a magnet on your fridge. I generalize the concept so that it is applicable to all known natural phenomena around us.

About the Speaker: Hitoshi Murayama is a High Energy Theorist, in 2026 he was awarded the Julius Lilienfeld Prize by the APS. This award is intended to recognize outstanding contributions to physics by a single individual who also has exceptional skills in lecturing to diverse audiences.

COSMIC CODA
A Science Documentary (Sort Of)

Some burning questions:  How do you build a machine to test Einstein's Relativity Theory?  Will you need a screwdriver?  What does an astrophysicist do exactly on any given Tuesday while searching the cosmos?  

In 1985, a clueless but educable filmmaker pursues these questions, skips 3 decades, then picks the story up again, 39 years later.  One of the most important discoveries in physics then, is told as it happens.

COSMIC CODA follows that remarkable journey across 39 years, bringing us along as one of the most important discoveries in physics unfolds. It’s a story about science, curiosity, persistence, and the wonderfully human people behind our quest to understand the universe.

Come watch this free screening, then stay for a Q&A with filmmaker Mary Jane Doherty (MJ).

Event Schedule 
6:00 PM — Doors Open
6:30 PM — COSMIC CODA Screening (87 minutes)
Following the film — Q&A with filmmaker Mary Jane Doherty (MJ)

Free Movie • Filmmaker Q&A • Everyone Welcome

Learn More About the Film Here

Title: Mapping the Quantum Limits of Classical Simulatability

Abstract: Quantum many-body systems are significantly more challenging to simulate than their classical counterparts. This is primarily due to the quantum sign problem, which prevents a reformulation in terms of stochastically sampling classical configurations. While many “sign problem-free” models have been discovered, which admit high-accuracy numerical simulations, many believe that certain phases of matter are intrinsically sign-problematic. In this talk, I present counterexamples to a number of no-go theorems by constructing sign problem-free models for phases of matter believed to be sign-problematic, and develop a revised perspective for how one should think about intrinsic sign problems.