Conference

Year of Quantum Across Canada Conference

Emily Martin — Wed, 13 Aug 2025 19:39:48 +0000

Year of Quantum Across Canada Conference Emily Martin Wed, 08/13/2025 - 15:39

The Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics will jointly host a conference celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the discovery of quantum mechanics.

The conference will celebrate and aim to strengthen the quantum information science community in Canada and beyond, by bringing together leading Canadian researchers as well as members of the broader quantum community. The program will highlight the fundamental advances being made in quantum information theory and how these advances lead to applications.

We will also be hosting a poster session on Tuesday, October 7 at IQC. Poster submissions are welcome and will be reviewed by the program committee. Some posters may be selected to present as a contributed talk.

Conference topics

Quantum metrology
Quantum simulation and quantum advantage
Quantum error-correction and fault tolerance
Quantum complexity and algorithms
Quantum communication and networks
Quantum cryptography
Quantum information in quantum matter and quantum gravity

Participation is open to all scientists who are interested in the conference topics.

Date

October 6 to 9, 2025

Location

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, PI/1-100 - Theatre

31 Caroline Street North, ��ݮ��Ƶ, Ontario, Canada, N2L 2Y5

Registration deadlines

In-Person registration closes: September 22 at 23:59 ET
Virtual registration closes: October 6 at 23:59 ET
Abstract submission closes: September 15 at 23:59 ET

Speakers

Christian Bauer - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Sergey Bravyi - IBM Research - Thomas J. Watson Research Center
Matthew Fisher - University of California, Santa Barbara
Masahito Hayashi - Chinese University of Hong Kong
Dakshita Khurana - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Aleksander Kubica - Yale University
Brian Swingle - Brandeis University
Yu-Xiang Yang - The University of Hong Kong

Co-Chairpersons

Marcela Carena - Perimeter Institute, University of Chicago, Fermilab
Norbert Lütkenhaus - University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, IQC

Scientific organizers and conveners

Alexandre Blais - Université de Sherbrook
Anne Broadbent - University of Ottawa
Shohini Ghose - Quantum Algorithms Institute
David Gosset - University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, IQC, Perimeter Institute
Tim Hsieh - Perimeter Institute
Raymond Laflamme - University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, IQC
Alex May - Perimeter Institute

Christine Muschik - University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, IQC, Perimeter Institute
John Preskill - CalTech
Barry Sanders - University of Calgary, Quantum City
Aephraim Steinberg - University of Toronto, CQIQC
Beni Yoshida - Perimeter Institute
Peter Zoller - University of Innsbruck, IQOQI
Sisi Zhou - Perimeter Institute

Got questions? We're here to help!

If you have questions about the call for abstracts with respect to your research, please contact Alex May.
Any logistical questions about the application process, the website or decision timelines should be directed to conferences@perimeterinstitute.ca or iqc.events@uwaterloo.ca.

The Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) is proud to support IYQ Canada and the International Year of Quantum Science & Technology (IYQ).

Toronto Ultracold Atom Network (TUCAN) meeting 2025

Takudzwa Chipo Valerie Mudzongo — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 16:47:11 +0000

Toronto Ultracold Atom Network (TUCAN) meeting 2025 Takudzwa Chipo… Tue, 04/29/2025 - 12:47

On Wednesday, May 7, 2025 the Institute for Quantum Computing will host the Toronto Ultracold Atom Network (TUCAN) meeting.

The one-day meeting aims to both share knowledge and strengthen ties between local ultracold atom groups. The day will consist of talks and posters on topics including trapped ions, optical lattices, Bose-Einstein condensates and optical techniques for atomic state manipulation.

Organizers

Rajibul Islam, Alan Jamison, Katie McDonnell, Collin Epstein, and Akimasa Ihara from the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC).

Location

TUCAN will be hosted in the Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre (QNC) Room 0101.

Schedule

Time	Agenda	Speaker	Research group
0930 - 1100	Arrival, coffee and refreshments
1000 - 1010	Welcome
1010 - 1030	High-dimensional qudit quantum computing with trapped 137Ba+ ions	Nicholas Zutt	Trapped Ion Quantum Control Lab
1030 - 1050	Progress towards a barium-133 trapped ion quantum processor	Ali Khatia	Laboratory for Quantum Information with Trapped Ions (QITI)
1050 - 1110	A cryogenic single-ion Sr+ clock	Takahiro Tow	Vutha group
1110 - 1130	Humpty-Dumpty is three-dimensional	Jim Martin	Martin group
1130 - 1230	Lunch - St. Jerome's
1230 - 1250	Magneto-optical trapping of neutral atoms with light-induced effective magnetic fields	Nicholas Sullivan	Braverman group
1250 - 1310	Dynamical instability as a PT-symmetry breaking phase transition in a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate	Denise Kamp	O'Dell group
1310 - 1330	Feedback Control Systems for the Stabilization of Traps in Large Rydberg Atom Arrays	Soroush Khoubyarian	Quantum Simulation Group
1330 - 1350	Coffee break and networking
1350 - 1410	Dimer-associated contact of a unitary Fermi gas	Kevin Xie	Thywissen Lab
1410 - 1430	Metasurface-based cavities for quantum optical applications with atomic ensembles	Anya Houk	Nano-Photonics and Quantum Optics Laboratory
1430 - 1600	Poster session: All attendees are welcome to bring posters. The poster display boards are 5ft wide by 4 ft high. Fixtures for mounting the posters to the boards will be provided.
1600 - 1645	Lab tours

Abstracts

Nicholas Sullivan

Magneto-optical trapping of neutral atoms with light-induced effective magnetic fields

We introduce a novel method for producing ensembles of cold neutral atoms without the use of magnetic fields. The proposed laser cooling and trapping method is similar to the typical magneto-optical trap (MOT), but replaces the quadrupole magnetic field with an asymmetrical arrangement of additional laser beams that produce a fictitious magnetic field through state-dependent light shifts. This effective field induces a spatial dependence on the scattering force of the optical molasses beams, taking the place of the real magnetic field in a MOT. We show that this “opto-optical trap” can be applied to commonly trapped atomic species and discuss the unique advantages and potential applications of this approach to laser trapping of atoms.

Braverman group

Takahiro Tow

A cryogenic single-ion Sr+ clock

Single-ion clocks are among the most accurate devices ever constructed. However, even the best clocks -- such as the Sr+ clock operated by the National Research Council of Canada -- are limited by systematic errors caused by blackbody radiation and background-gas collisions. To mitigate these two problems, we have designed and built a Sr+ clock that operates at 4 K: cryogenic operation suppresses both blackbody radiation and collisional shifts by many orders of magnitude. I will discuss the rationale for developing this device, present some unique aspects of its design, and discuss our efforts to characterize its performance.

Vutha group

Jim Martin

Humpty-Dumpty is three-dimensional

Matter-wave Interferometry using Stern-Gerlach based beam-splitters has been described by Schwinger and co-workers [1] as a task as difficult as putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again! Nonetheless, such a Stern-Gerlach Interferometer (SGI) has recently been demonstrated [2].

As shown by Comparat [3], simple models in one spatial dimension are insufficient to analyze SGIs, due to the three-dimensional nature of magnetic fields. I will discuss these effects on SGI using Rydberg atoms with electric field gradients, and the surprising prediction that many superficially similar SGI protocols are significantly different, with only some protocols demonstrating robust visibility in experimentally relevant regimes, and others infeasible.

Work done in collaboration with Danny Meng and Darren Chan.

[1] B.-G. Englert, J. Schwinger, and M. O. Scully, “Is spin coherence like Humpty-Dumpty? I. Simplified treatment”, en, Foundations of Physics 18, 1045–1056 (1988).

[2] Y. Margalit, O. Dobkowski, Z. Zhou, O. Amit, Y. Japha, S. Moukouri, D. Rohrlich, A. Mazumdar, S. Bose, C. Henkel, and R. Folman, “Realization of a complete Stern-Gerlach interferometer: Toward a test of quantum gravity”, Science Advances 7, Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science, eabg2879 (2021).

[3] D. Comparat, “Limitations for field-enhanced atom interferometry”, Physical Review A 101, Publisher: American Physical Society, 023606 (2020). "

Martin group

Soroush Khoubyarian

Feedback Control Systems for the Stabilization of Traps in Large Rydberg Atom Arrays

Quantum processors have the potential to perform computations beyond the capabilities of classical processors. Realizing this potential would enable innovative applications in materials science, computational chemistry, and quantum many-body physics. Among the various platforms under development, Rydberg atom array quantum processors stand out for their scalability and controllability.

However, a critical challenge is generating large arrays of optical traps that are uniform in space and stable in time. Here, we introduce a closed-loop feedback system to create large, homogeneous arrays of optical traps whose power is stabilized in real time. The system tracks the power of more than a thousand traps on a camera, continuously updating polychromatic RF tones actuating a pair of acousto-optic deflectors. This enables the simultaneous optimization of processes such as trapping, cooling, and imaging of single neutral atoms in all traps.

We demonstrate a reduction in shot-to-shot fluctuations in loading efficiency and an increase in relative stability when performing adiabatic ramp-down experiments. This system can readily be deployed to implement atom-selective quantum gates across a large field of view and reduce atom loss during atom displacement.

Quantum Simulation Group

Anya Houk

Metasurface-based cavities for quantum optical applications with atomic ensembles

Nano-Photonics and Quantum Optics Laboratory

Atomic ensembles coupled with cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) offer a promising platform for quantum computing and networking, though with large challenges in implementation and scalability. We explore the use of metasurfaces and photonic crystals, sub-wavelegth nanostructues used to engineer optical wavefronts, to build exotic cavities for enhaced light-matter interaction. We present novel dichroic cavity designs and implementations tailored for free-space and fiber-integrated configurations.

Ali Khatai

Progress towards a barium-133 trapped ion quantum processor

We present our recent progress in developing a barium based trapped ion quantum processor using a microfabricated surface trap with 94 controllable DC electrode channels. Barium ions are among the most promising qubit candidates due to their long-lived quantum states and visible-wavelength optical transitions, allowing the use of commercial optics and waveguide-based modulators for individual qubit control.

Our trap is centrally mounted in the vacuum chamber, departing from conventional flange-mounted designs to maximize optical access while maintaining ultra-high vacuum conditions (3×10⁻¹¹ mbar). We highlight two major technical challenges: building a custom in-vacuum wire harness with 100 electrical connections to the trap, and implementing a multi-species barium atomic source that includes both radioactive barium-133 salt and rapidly oxidizing barium metal, each requiring specialized preparation and installation methods.

Laboratory for Quantum Information with Trapped Ions (QITI)

Nicholas Zutt

High-Dimensional Qudit Quantum Computing with Trapped 137Ba+ Ions

Authors: Nicholas CF Zutt, Gaurav A Tathed, Pei Jiang Low, Crystal Senko

The angular momentum eigenstates of the unpaired electron in trapped 137Ba+ ions offer a promising pathway toward high-fidelity qudit (d > 2) encoding. Due to the nonzero nuclear spin (I = 3/2), the 6S1/2 and 5D5/2 manifolds contain, respectively, 8 and 24 non-degenerate levels at intermediate magnetic fields (∼ few Gauss). Leveraging recent developments in state preparation techniques for trapped ion quantum computing, we demonstrate high-fidelity (> 99.5%) state preparation and measurement results over 25 basis states, the maximal measurable qudit encoding across the 6S1/2 and 5D5/2 manifolds in 137Ba+.

We demonstrate coherent control over this enlarged Hilbert space by performing Ramsey-type coherence probing measurements (generating many-state superpositions and probing phase-sensitive population recovery) and benchmark the scaling of decohering effects with increasing qudit dimension. We discuss the largest contributors to error in our system and the steps needed to maintain highdimensional coherence (as measured via the contrast of Ramsey-type measurements) in this qudit implementation.

Finally, we implement two-qubit algorithms (BernsteinVazirani and Grover’s search) on this single trapped ion qudit. This work establishes the feasibility of using trapped ions for large-qudit (d > 10) quantum computation, which is a promising alternative approach to expanding the Hilbert space in trapped ion quantum computing.

This research was supported in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Canada Research Chairs.

Trapped Ion Quantum Control Lab

Kevin Xie

Dimer-association contact of a unitary Fermi gas

Interaction shifts of spectroscopic lines are a nuisance for atomic clocks, but also a signature of two-body correlations. We prepare a unitary Fermi gas of potassium-40, where atom-atom correlations manifest in the radiofrequency (rf) transfer spectra between internal states. In certain cases, the complete spectrum has a negative total clock shift, in seeming disagreement with the well studied positive high-frequency tail governed by the contact parameter.

We report that the “missing link” is a relatively deeply bound ac dimer. With a highly concentrated spectral weight, rf pulses on microsecond timescales can produce significant dimer-association rates, while Fourier broadening does not convolve the bare atomic resonance. We calibrate a Fourier-width-dominated dimer lineshape and observe that the integrated spectral weight and clock shift are directly proportional to correlations in the initial state extracted from the usual high- frequency tail.

The results are compared both to an analytic model with finite effective range and to a coupled-channels calculation. Our measurements inform the complete rf spectra of a unitary Fermi gas and provide a new tool for rapid observation of pair correlation dynamics.

Thywissen Lab

Denise Kamp

Dynamical instability as a PT-symmetry breaking phase transition in a rotating Bose-Einstein condensate

We study a dilute gas of bosons in a rotating toroidal trap, focusing on a two-mode regime with a non-rotating mode and a rotating mode corresponding to a singly charged vortex. The system undergoes a symmetry-breaking transition as the ratio of interactions to disorder potential is varied, spontaneously selecting one mode, demonstrating macroscopic quantum self-trapping. The symmetry breaking is associated with dynamical instabilities driven by complex eigenvalues that can occur in a theoretical treatment as the Bogoliubov Hamiltonian is non-Hermitian, essentially because a U(1) symmetry is broken by choosing a phase for the BEC. A special feature of non-Hermitian quantum theory is that PT-symmetry replaces self-adjointness and we explore the connection between dynamical instability and PT-symmetry breaking phase transitions in this system.

O'Dell group

ETSI/IQC Quantum Safe Cryptography Conference

Takudzwa Chipo Valerie Mudzongo — Fri, 03 Jan 2025 17:46:32 +0000

ETSI/IQC Quantum Safe Cryptography Conference Takudzwa Chipo… Fri, 01/03/2025 - 12:46

European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and the Institute for Quantum Computing are thrilled to organize the 2025 edition of the ETSI/IQC Quantum Safe Cryptography Conference.

This year, the event will be hosted physically by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) from 3 to 5 June 2025 in Madrid, Spain.

Are you active in quantum-safe cryptography?

Here is an opportunity to be part of the conference programme: The members of the programme committee are currently calling for presentations and posters, do not miss the chance to contribute with a talk (deadline - January 15), a poster (deadline - February 25) or simply save the date.

The programme committee works towards having the programme online early April. Please note that the conference is run in English and that registration will be open by the end of March.

The conference will cover the following topics:

Initiatives and deployments

Co-ordinated global, regional or national efforts on quantum-safe schemes.
Specific initiatives towards quantum-safety within financial, telecommunication, energy and other critical sectors.
Insights from practical deployments of post-quantum, QKD, or other quantum-safe key establishment or authentication schemes.
Challenges to deploying quantum-safe schemes for a given use-case.

Migration

Migration paths and roadmaps for quantum safety and cryptographic resilience (including challenges and resolutions).
Strategy to achieve cryptographic agility in products.

New ideas and concepts

Innovative ideas utilising post-quantum crypto or QKD in the real-world.
New applications of post-quantum crypto or QKD.
Hybrid key agreement and signatures.
System integration of QKD and post-quantum.
Cryptanalysis and side-channel analysis of post-quantum systems/QKD.
Other practical quantum-safe alternatives to existing cryptographic primitives (e.g. aggregate signatures) or protocols (e.g. DNSSEC, RPKI).

Standards and certification

Standards for quantum cryptography devices and systems.
Testing, metrics, validation and certification for quantum-safety.
Standards for quantum-resistant public-key crypto algorithms.

WIPC 2017 - Day 3

Takudzwa Chipo Valerie Mudzongo — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 20:04:55 +0000

WIPC 2017 - Day 3 Takudzwa Chipo… Wed, 11/27/2024 - 15:04

Schedule

The Women in Physics Canada (WIPC) sixth annual conference day 2 schedule.

Time	Agenda
09:30	Quantum connections Shohini Ghose, Wilfrid Laurier University From atomic structure, to the composition of stars, to teleportation, quantum physics has led to amazing discoveries and modern technologies like lasers and computers that have transformed our everyday lives. Yet the quantum world remains a mysterious place full of interesting phenomena such as entanglement and quantum uncertainty that we are now harnessing for novel information processing applications. This talk describes my journey into this weird and wonderful invisible world, and the surprising lessons I learned about physics and about being a physicist.
10:00	The eye as a window on the retina and the brain Melanie Campbell, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ In this presentation, I will discuss the application of novel imaging methods to understanding the eye and brain function. I will discuss the use of adaptive optics for high resolution imaging of the retina to improve our knowledge of visual processing and non-invasive polarization imaging methods for the detection of biomarkers of diseases that affect the brain. The two brain diseases that I will concentrate on are Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral malaria.
10:30	Panel: Work/Life Balance Moderated by Jodi Szimanski, Institute for Quantum Computing Panelists Jen Schrafft, Jen Schrafft Coaching Joan Vaccaro, Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia Krister Shalm, National Institute of Standards and Technology Razieh Annabestani, Institute for Quantum Computing It is often perceived that work–life balance is more difficult to achieve in a STEM field than in other professions. We convened a panel of professionals who successfully advanced their scientific careers while, for example, raising children or pursuing other endeavors. Through discussions on this panel, our panelists will provide advice and answer questions on how to effectively achieve the balance that’s right for you.
11:30	Health break, food and drinks available
12:00	Implicit Bias Workshop Crystal Tse, Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ Social psychologists have studied varying and changing forms of prejudice – from prejudice that is more blatant and explicit to more contemporary forms of prejudice that is more subtle and implicit. In this workshop, Crystal will provide an overview of research on implicit bias with a focus on STEM fields and its wide-ranging impact on factors such as achievement, retention, and hiring. Participants will have opportunities to reflect on where implicit bias comes from and to work on developing strategies to combat implicit bias in academic and work environments.
13:00	Lunch, food and drinks available
13:30	Lab tours

WIPC 2017 - Day 2

Takudzwa Chipo Valerie Mudzongo — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 20:56:30 +0000

WIPC 2017 - Day 2 Takudzwa Chipo… Wed, 11/20/2024 - 15:56

Schedule

The Women in Physics Canada (WIPC) sixth annual conference day 2 schedule.

Time	Agenda
09:30	Donna Strickland, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ Multi-frequency Raman Generation for Intense Ultrashort Pulses
10:00	Lauren Hayward Sierens, Perimeter Institute Universal quantities from entanglement entropies
10:30	Health break, food and drinks available
11:00	Dr. Edward Beharry, Counselling Services at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ Mental Health Workshop
12:00	Lunch, food and drinks available Queer, Trans, and Allies Meetup
13:00	Student talks
14:30	Health break, food and drinks available
15:00	Panel discussion How to Choose a Supervisor and Build a Good Working Relationship
16:00	John R. Dutcher, University of Guelph Unlocking the Potential of Nature’s Nanotechnology: From Serendipitous Discovery to Fundamental Science to Commercialization
18:00	Banquet at the University Club

Speakers

Donna Strickland

Multi-frequency Raman Generation for Intense Ultrashort Pulses

Since the advent of lasers, many different nonlinear optical techniques have led to shorter, higher-intensity pulses. At ��ݮ��Ƶ, we are studying the nonlinear process of Multi-frequency Raman generation, which efficiently generates a rainbow of colours. By phasing all the colours together ultrashort pulses with durations as short as single femtoseconds (10^-15 s) can be created. The goal of this work is to make short intense optical pulses to image molecular motion.

Affiliation: University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Lauren Hayward Sierens

Universal quantities from entanglement entropies

Quantum entanglement entropies and their scaling behaviours offer a unique means of describing quantum many-body systems. Most systems in their ground state obey a so-called “area law” whereby the leading contribution to the bipartite entanglement entropy scales with the size of the bipartition’s boundary. There can be subleading corrections to this area law behaviour that depend upon the size and shape of the entangled regions, and for systems at a quantum critical point, such corrections can potentially contain universal quantities. I will discuss numerical strategies for extracting such quantities in cases where the entangled regions have interesting geometrical features. These universal numbers characterize an underlying theory and offer insight into the connections and relationships between quantum systems at criticality.

Affiliation: Perimeter Institute

Dr. Edward Beharry

Mental Health Workshop

Students often feel overwhelmed in undergraduate and graduate school which can affect both their physical and mental health. In this workshop I will provide coping strategies and techniques as well as recommendations on how graduate departments and academic advisors can help graduate students.

Affiliation: Counselling services at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Queer, Trans, and Allies Meetup

FemPhys will be hosting a meetup for all participants who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and their dedicated allies.

About the organizers: FemPhys is a campus organization at U��ݮ��Ƶ dedicated to community building, education, and creating better policy in and around the Physics department. Follow them on Twitter, check out their website, or find a member at the conference for more information!

Panel: How to Choose a Supervisor and Build a Good Working Relationship

Choosing a supervisor is an extremely important decision that can determine your success during your academic career. Your supervisor is your mentor, advisor and sounding board. Factors such as a supervisor’s expertise, experience, availability, personality, research and publications will help you determine who will complement your research and learning style the most. Panelists will offer advice on how to choose a supervisor whom is right for you and how to positively build your relationship from the day that you begin.

Moderated by

Allison Sachs, Institute for Quantum Computing

Panelists

Eduardo Martin-Martinez, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Katanya Kuntz, Institute for Quantum Computing
Lauren Hayward Sierens, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Melanie Campbell, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

John R. Dutcher

Unlocking the Potential of Nature’s Nanotechnology: From Serendipitous Discovery to Fundamental Science to Commercialization

Nature offers amazing examples of nanostructured molecules and materials. I will focus on phytoglycogen, a highly-branched polymer of glucose produced in the form of dense, monodisperse nanoparticles by some varieties of plants such as sweet corn. The particles are chemically simple, but have a special dendrimeric or tree-like structure that produces interesting and unusual properties such as extraordinary water retention, and low viscosity and exceptional stability in water.

These properties point to a wide variety of potential applications from cosmetics to drug delivery, yet these applications need to be enabled by a deeper understanding of the unique structure of the particles and their interaction with water. I will describe our journey from the initial serendipitous discovery of the particles, to our detailed analysis of their structure and hydration, to the commercialization of this sustainable nanotechnology in our Guelph-based spinoff company Mirexus Biotechnologies.

Affiliation: University of Guelph

Student talks

Student talks are scheduled Thursday, July 26 1 to 2:30 p.m. Each talk is 12-minutes with 3-minutes for questions.

Lazaridis QNC 1502

Allison Sachs, Institute for Quantum Computing
Yasaman K. Yazdi, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and Perimeter Institute
Nayeli A. Rodríguez-Briones, Institute for Quantum Computing
Meenu Kumari, Institute for Quantum Computing
Angelika Fertig, Perimeter Institute

Lazaridis QNC 0101

Laura Saunders, University of Toronto and McGill University
Kimberlee Dube, University of Saskatchewan
Whitney Bader, University of Toronto
Abene Abderrahmane, University of Valenciennes
Emily Tyhurst, University of British Columbia

Allison Sachs

Divergenceless methods to quantify vacuum correlations in quadratically coupled fields

The vacuum state of a quantum field possesses correlations, both classical and quantum, between spacelike separated regions [1,2]. By reading out these correlations, we can gather information about the structure of spacetime [3,4]. Additionally, vacuum correlations can, in principle, be used as a resource for quantum communication and other quantum information tasks. Past works have studied this phenomenon, called entanglement harvesting [5,6], in the case of detectors coupling linearly to a bosonic field; e.g. two atoms coupled to the electromagnetic field.

We present new divergence-free methods to study correlations harvested from quadratically coupled fields to a particle detectors (such as Unruh-DeWitt). These methods become relevant in the study of vacuum entanglement of fermionic fields and interacting bosonic theories. For example, the entanglement structure of the fermionic vacuum has not yet been studied in detail. The chief reason is that we lacked an adequate divergence-free equivalent to the Unruh-DeWitt particle detector model for fermionic fields [7].

We expect that these studies will shed light on the nature of fermionic field vacuum entanglement, which displays distinctive features not present in the bosonic case as observed in the study of the Unruh effect [8,9].

Work in collaboration with: Eduardo Martín-Martínez and Robert B. Mann.

[1] S. J. Summers and R. F. Werner, Phys. Lett. A 110 , 257 (1985).
[2] S. J. Summers and R. F. Werner, J. Math. Phys. 28, 2
[3] G. V. Steeg and N. C. Menicucci, Phys. Rev. D 79, 044027 (2009).
[4] E. Martin-Martinez, A. R. H. Smith, D. R. Terno, Phys. Rev. D 93, 044001 (2016)

Affiliation: Institute for Quantum Computing

Yasaman K. Yazdi

Zero Modes and Entanglement Entropy

Ultraviolet divergences are widely discussed in studies of entanglement entropy. Also present, but much less understood, are infrared divergences due to zero modes in the field theory. In this talk, I will discuss the importance of carefully handling zero modes in entanglement entropy. I will give an explicit example for a chain of harmonic oscillators in 1D, where a mass regulator is necessary to avoid an infrared divergence due to a zero mode. I will also comment on a surprising contribution of the zero mode to the UV-scaling of the entanglement entropy.

Affiliation: University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and Perimeter Institute

Nayeli A. Rodríguez-Briones

Quantum energy teleportation as a tool to keep quantum computers cool

Combining quantum thermodynamics with concepts of quantum field theory such as the quantum interest conjecture and quantum energy teleportation, we show that a long standing upper bound on the cooling limits of algorithmic cooling methods can be broken by exploiting system correlations due to internal interaction. In particular, we exploit quantum energy teleportation to consume correlations present due to the internal interaction while extracting work locally, resulting in the purification of a target qubit. Controlled purification of quantum states is at the core of practical applications of quantum information science, especially for quantum computation. This preparation is required for initializing quantum information processors, and for a reliable supply of ancilla qubits that satisfy the fault-tolerance threshold for quantum error correction.

Affiliation: Institute for Quantum Computing

Meenu Kumari

Connections between Bell inequalities and symmetric extensions

Symmetric extendibility of quantum states has been proven to be useful in various areas of quantum information and quantum communication such as detection of entanglement, determining entanglement distillability, and characterizing anti-degradable channels. Thus, it is important to determine whether any quantum state can possess a symmetric extension or not. So far, the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of symmetric extension of quantum states has been known for only 2-qubit states, the question being open for 2-qudit states. We provide a sufficient condition for the non-existence of 3-qudit symmetric extension of any 2-qudit state using the existence of nonlocal quantum correlations in the quantum state measured via Bell inequalities. First, we prove that any 2-qubit state that violates the CHSH inequality cannot have a symmetric extension. Next, we prove that if a 2-qudit Bell inequality is monogamous, then any 2-qudit state that violates this inequality cannot have a symmetric extension. Finally, we conjecture Bell CGLMP inequality for 2-qutrit states to be monogamous using numerical evidences. A key feature of our work is that our analysis of qudit states is general and provides a sufficient condition for testing the symmetric extension of quantum states of any dimension.

Affiliation: Institute for Quantum Computing

Angelika Fertig

Quantum Tunneling with a Lorentzian Path Integral

We describe the tunneling of a quantum mechanical particle with a Lorentzian (real-time) path integral. The analysis is made concrete by the application to the inverted harmonic oscillator potential, where the path integral is known exactly. We apply Picard-Lefschetz theory to the time integral of the Feynman propagator at fixed energy, and show that the Euclidean integration contour is obtained as a Lefschetz thimble, or a sum of them, in a suitable limit. Picard-Lefschetz theory is used to make the integral manifestly convergent and is also essential for the saddle point or semi-classical approximation. The very simple example of the inverted harmonic oscillator presents many of the interesting feature found when dealing with instantons, such as the Stokes phenomenon and multiple relevant complex saddles.

Affiliation: Perimeter Institute

Laura Saunders

Single molecule visualization of topology-mediated interactions in supercoiled DNA

DNA topology is closely linked to important cellular processes such as transcription, DNA replication, and DNA repair. In the nucleus, DNA structure has long been known to consist of two strands of nucleotides wrapped around each other into a double helix. Higher order structures that are potentially important for cellular function are also known to occur in DNA, and are driven by what is called supercoiling. This term refers to the double helix winding further around itself, creating torsional strain in the DNA that can be relieved via higher order structures or local unwinding of the double helix at specific sites. These tend to correspond to important physiological regions that control for DNA replication and gene expression. While the static state of these structural changes is well understood, very little is known about supercoil-induced unwinding dynamics.

We developed a method that monitors the unwinding of a specific site of bacterial DNA into two single strands by probing the site with a fluorescent strand of DNA designed to bind specifically to the unwound site. Our technique allows us to visualize DNA interactions and kinetics without chemically or mechanically interfering with the DNA’s structure, while obtaining high statistics under different experimental conditions. We used this to quantitatively investigate the effects of temperature and supercoiling on bacterial DNA unwinding, taking an important step toward understanding cellular processes.

Affiliation: University of Toronto and McGill University

Kimberlee Dube

The effect of solar rotation on stratospheric ozone as observed by OSIRIS

The amount of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s atmosphere varies with both the 11 year solar cycle and the 27 day solar rotation period. Ozone in the middle atmosphere is largely created through photolysis at ultraviolet wavelengths. The Optical Spectrograph and InfraRed Imaging System (OSIRIS) has been in orbit on the Odin satellite since late 2001. OSIRIS ozone profiles were used to investigate the effect of changes in solar ultraviolet flux on stratospheric ozone concentrations. Analysis was done using the fast Fourier transform, continuous wavelet transform, and cross correlations between the ozone time series and a solar proxy.

The effects of changes in temperature were also considered. Results were consistent with those from the Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) from 2003 to 2008 and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) from 2004 to 2007. For the time period from 2002 to 2015 a 0.1% change in ozone concentration occurred for a 1% change in solar ultraviolet flux. The validity of using OSIRIS data to analyze the effect of solar rotation on stratospheric ozone has been confirmed. This provides a larger data set and insight on the current relatively weak solar cycle that can be used in future climate modeling.

Affiliation: University of Saskatchewan

Whitney Bader

The still unexplained increase of atmospheric methane and heavy methane

Methane (CH4) is the second most important greenhouse gas emitted by human activities in the Earth’s atmosphere. Although it is roughly 200 times less abundant than carbon dioxide, it is a 28 times more potent greenhouse gas. Approximately one fifth of the changes in the Earth’s balance energy caused by human-linked greenhouse gases since the beginning of industrialization (~1750) is due to methane.

Methane is emitted by both natural sources and human activities. Indeed, methane can be emitted to the atmosphere through coal mining, oil and gas exploitation, rice cultures, domestic ruminant animals, biomass burning, waste management, wetlands, termites, methane hydrates and ocean. In the atmosphere, due to its role on the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere, methane is also called the detergent of the atmosphere.

Since the beginning of the industrialization, atmospheric methane concentrations have increased by 260% to reach 1824 pbb in 2013. From the 1980s until the beginning of the 1990s, atmospheric methane was significantly on the rise, then stabilized during 1999-2006 to rise again afterwards. To this day, the source or sink responsible of this latter increase remains unexplained.

Through each emission process, heavy molecules of methane (with one additional neutron either on a carbon or on one hydrogen atom) are emitted along methane (12CH4). The main heavy molecules of methane, called isotopologues (13CH4 and CH3D), are respectively ~110 and ~60 000 times less abundant than methane. Despite their small abundances, they give crucial information on the concentration of methane in the atmosphere and its evolution. Indeed, both isotopologues are emitted with specific emission ratio depending on the emission sources. Determining isotopic ratio of atmospheric methane is therefore a unique tracer of its budget.

While the non-monotonous trend of methane is subject of an extensive number of studies, to our knowledge, no study of the isotopic ratio of methane derived from ground-based solar observations has been published to date. Measurements of heavy methane from Fourier Transform InfraRed spectra recorded with state of the art spectrometers installed at Eureka [Arctic, Canada] and Toronto [Ontario, Canada] will help fill this gap.

Affiliation: University of Toronto

Abene Abderrahmane

Experimental study by visualisation of behavioural properties of vortex structures on the upper surface of an ogive

Indeed, methane can be emitted to the atmosphere through coal mining, oil and gas exploitation, rice cultures, domestic ruminant animals, biomass burning, waste management, wetlands, termites, methane hydrates and ocean. In the atmosphere, due to its role on the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere, methane is also called the detergent of the atmosphere. Since the beginning of the industrialization, atmospheric methane concentrations have increased by 260% to reach 1824 pbb in 2013.

From the 1980s until the beginning of the 1990s, atmospheric methane was significantly on the rise, then stabilized during 1999-2006 to rise again afterwards. To this day, the source or sink responsible of this latter increase remains unexplained.

Affiliation: University of Valenciennes

Emily Tyhurst

Surface currents in the Fraser River plume in the Strait of Georgia observed by high frequency radar and GPS-tracked drifters

The Fraser River is the largest undammed river on the west coast of North America, and its discharge into the Strait of Georgia near Vancouver has a substantial impact on the local oceanography. The river-ocean interface is a complex region, and understanding how these waters flow and mix has a bearing on practical issues such as determining the fate of river-borne contaminants (three wastewater facilities discharge into the Fraser River).

In an effort to understand the fluid dynamics of this system, and how contaminants disperse in the Strait of Georgia, two different observational data sets are compared critically: GPS tracks from drifting buoys, and spatially-resolved flow measurements from high frequency radar backscatter. The results shed light on both the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches, and the oceanic forces at work in the Strait of Georgia.

Affiliation: University of British Columbia

WIPC 2017 - Day 1

Takudzwa Chipo Valerie Mudzongo — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 19:38:35 +0000

WIPC 2017 - Day 1 Takudzwa Chipo… Tue, 11/19/2024 - 14:38

Schedule

The Women in Physics Canada (WIPC) sixth annual conference day 1 schedule.

Time	Agenda
09:00	Welcome and opening remarks
09:30	Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, University of Washington From Atomic Physics to Cosmology: The Physics Life of a Black Femme
10:00	Joan Vaccaro, Griffith University Quantum theory of time
10:30	Health break, food and drinks available
11:00	Gender Summit 11 Announcement Serge Villemure will announce the Gender Summit 11 North America 2017 coming to Canada for the first time.
11:15	Panel discussion How to Increase Diversity in Physics
12:15	Group photo
12:30	Lunch, food and drinks available
13:30	Student talks
15:00	Health break, food and drinks available
15:30	A.W. Peet, University of Toronto Quantum black hole holograms
16:00	Christine Nattrass, University of Tennessee Melting Nuclei
16:30	Bus to Perimeter Institute
17:00	Panel discussion Careers Outside Academia
18:00	Poster session and reception Hosted and sponsored by Perimeter Institute
19:30	Bus to University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Speakers

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

From Atomic Physics to Cosmology: The Physics Life of a Black Femme

The discovery of the Higgs boson reinforces the possibility that similar, scalar particles may exist in nature and could drive cosmological inflation. In this talk I will describe my scientific research in theoretical cosmology through the lens of my experience as a Black, Jewish, queer and femme physicist. I will describe my work with the dark matter candidate, the axion, as well as efforts to describe the universe before it was a second old, the inflationary era. I will talk about the exciting claim that dark matter axions form an exotic state of matter called a Bose-Einstein condensate and my ownwork on this idea. Along the way, I will reflect on what it means to consider these ideas while being a Black femme.

Affiliation: University of Washington

Joan Vaccaro

Quantum theory of time

It is a rare situation where we need to cast aside elementary assumptions that underpin our theories in order to advance them further. To be an advance two things are required: (1) any discarded assumption must be accounted for as a consequence of something deeper, and (2) the deeper cause must have consequences (predictions) that show it is necessary.

I suspect that advancing our understanding of the nature of time, and dynamics in particular, is a situation of this kind. Dynamics is conventionally assumed to be an elemental part of nature. It is incorporated axiomatically in physical theories through conservation laws and compliant equations of motion. If, however, the conservation laws and equations of motion were found to be due to deeper causes, the conventional view of dynamics being elemental would need reworking. I will show how a violation of time reversal symmetry (T violation) of the kind observed in K and B meson decay might be such a cause.

I use a new quantum formalism based on the principle of superposition of multiple paths that treats time and space equally. The states of matter and fields are represented by paths over space and time. If there is no T violation, the formalism allows an object to be localised in both space and time, i.e. it would exist only in some small region of space and in some small interval of time. As the object would not exist before or after the time interval, there is no equation of motion and no conservation laws. The elementary assumption of dynamics has been clearly discarded here.

However, the same formalism with T violation is dramatically different. The T violation induces destructive interference between paths over time which makes it impossible for matter to remain localized at any one position. An equation of motion (the Schrodinger equation) emerges and conservation laws are obeyed. The discarded assumption is replaced with the emergence of dynamics as a consequence of T violation. Requirement 1 is satisfied.

Moreover, local variations in T violation induce corresponding variations in local clock time (like a quantum version of time dilation). I will briefly discuss how this might lead to physical evidence of the necessity of the new formalism and how it might fulfil requirement 2.

Affiliation: Griffith University

Panel: How to Increase Diversity in Physics

A more inclusive atmosphere enhances innovation and the quality of life for everyone. Diversity in science is an issue which we should all be concerned with if we want healthy programs that reverse enrollment trends. Panelists will share their experiences and offer advice on how to increase diversity, including strategies on how to make programs and careers in physics more accessible to women.

Moderated by

Melanie Campbell, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Panelists

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, University of Washington
Chris Herdman, Institute for Quantum Computing
Serge Villemure, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Shohini Ghose, Wilfrid Laurier University

A.W. Peet

Quantum black hole holograms

Almost twenty years ago, J.Maldacena made a remarkable insight into the structure of both quantum field theories and quantum gravity called the AdS/CFT correspondence. Its most intriguing feature is that the (Anti de Sitter) gravity theory involved has one more spatial dimension than the (Conformal) Field Theory to which it is physically equivalent. This is reminiscent of a hologram, like the 3D picture of you on your 2D driver's licence. Furthermore, AdS physics is easy to calculate when CFT physics is not, and vice versa. This sparked applications to modelling systems as diverse as quantum critical points in condensed matter, the quark-gluon plasma, and cosmology. Other advances developed conceptual connections between the geometry of spacetime and information theoretic entanglement. Our specific focus is on using holographic CFT tools to make progress on two grand puzzles: how do classical black hole spacetimes emerge from quantum string theory, and how can information that falls into black holes be recovered? This talk will assume no prior knowledge of any of these topics.

Afiliation: University of Toronto

Christine Nattrass

Melting Nuclei

Nuclei are melted in high energy collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) on Long Island and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, forming a liquid of quarks and gluons called the Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). Measurements at RHIC and the LHC cover two orders of magnitude in center of mass energy, corresponding to nearly an order of magnitude in energy density. This phase of matter existed shortly after the Big Bang. As it expands and cools, it refreezes, forming particles called hadrons. We determine the properties of the QGP by studying these hadrons.

Affiliation: University of Tennessee

Panel: Careers Outside Academia

Many professionals with a physics degree leave academia for jobs in the private sector, pursuing a career where their co-workers have drastically different educational backgrounds relative to theirs. With an array of options available, we gathered professionals from both academia and the private sector to offer you with insight on how an education in physics can be applicable to many careers and the pros and cons of each career type.

Moderated by

Melanie Campbell, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Panelists

Jon Walgate, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Michael Burns, ��ݮ��Ƶ Collegiate Institute
Michelle Irvine, Google
René Stock, Scotiabank

Student talks

Student talks are scheduled Wednesday, July 26 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Each talk is 12-minutes with 3-minutes for questions.

Lazaridis QNC 1502

Natacha Altamirano, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and Perimeter Institute
Hope Boyce, McGill University
Nina Bonaventura, McGill University
Chiamaka Okoli, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and Perimeter Institute

Lazaridis QNC 0101

Morgan Mastrovich, Institute for Quantum Computing
Jennifer Reid, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Carolyn Cadogan, Western University
Emma McKay, Institute for Quantum Computing

Natacha Altamirano

Weak measurements, decoherence and cosmology

In this work we consider a recent proposal in which gravitational interactions are mediated via the exchange of classical information and apply it to a quantized Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) universe with the assumption that any test particles must feel a classical metric. We show that such a model results in decoherence in the FRW state that manifests itself as a dark energy fluid that fills the spacetime. Motivated by quantum-classical interactions this model is yet another example of theories with violation of energy-momentum conservation whose signature could have significant consequences for the observable universe

Affiliation: University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and Perimeter Institute

Hope Boyce

The Search for a Central Black Hole in the Large Magellanic Cloud

As one of our closest galactic neighbours, the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) is an enticing place to look for a central black hole (BH). Due to the large size of the LMC on the sky and the complexity of its dynamics, the center of this dwarf galaxy is still only known to ∼ 30 arcmin. Here we present a new study of the stellar kinematics near the center of the LMC, and use this to provide the first constraints on the possible presence of a central black hole.

With the impressive field of view of the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) for the Very Large Telescope this is the largest region of the LMC mapped with integrated light. We identify and subtract the galactic foreground population and use the Calcium Triplet (∼ 850nm) spectral lines to create a 2D radial velocity map with an unprecedented spatial resolution of 1 arcmin2.

Comparison of this map with kinematic models yields 3σ upper-mass-limit of 9 × 10^6 M⊙ for any black hole within the center of the LMC. The study of such a nearby dwarf galaxy and its potential black hole can shed light on many theories of BH formation, growth, and host system interaction.

Affiliation: McGill University

Nina Bonaventura

Red but not dead: a multiwavelength exploration of unexpected star formation in SpARCS Brightest Cluster Galaxies

We have conducted a comprehensive infrared photometric and optical spectroscopic campaign of the largest sample of Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs), those selected from the Spitzer Adaptation of the Red-sequence Cluster Survey (SpARCS). Given the tension that exists between model predictions and recent observations of BCGs at z<2, we aim to uncover the dominant physical mechanism(s) guiding the stellar mass buildup of this special class of galaxies, the most massive in the Universe and uniquely residing at the centres of galaxy clusters.

Through an unprecedented study of the far-infrared spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of 675 SpARCS BCGS between 0 < z < 1.8, and the stacked optical spectra of 93 BCGs between 0.1 < z < 1.1, we discover unexpected star formation activity occurring within these galaxies during an epoch where they are predicted to be largely devoid of material to form stars. The star-forming model fits to the broadband (3.6-500 microns) Spitzer/Herschel, far-infrared BCG SEDs are confirmed by the direct detection of emission-line signatures of ionized gas in the optical spectra. In the optical spectra we also detect the Balmer stellar absorption features and '4000 Angstrom break' indexes characteristic of a younger stellar population than anticipated for these supposed 'red and dead' elliptical galaxies.

The discovery of vigorously star-forming BCGs down to z~0.5 challenges the accepted belief that these galaxies should only passively evolve through gas-poor, 'dry' mergers since z~4. However, it does agree with relatively recent refinements to the semi-analytic model of hierarchical structure formation that is invoked to explain BCG formation and evolution. We attribute the observed star formation to 'wet' (gas-rich) mergers and internal stellar mass losses, based on a lack of key signatures (to date) of the 'cluster cooling flows' which are usually considered to be the source of star formation in this unique class of galaxies.

Affiliation: McGill University

Chiamaka Okoli

The dynamical friction effects of neutrinos as seen in the TianNu simulation

Standard big bang cosmology predicts a cosmic neutrino background at given temperature today. Neutrino velocities are expected to be non-relativistic today. We had earlier made predictions for the dynamical friction of haloes, as a result of the neutrino wakes, moving in a stream of neutrinos. In this talk, I will quantify how we extract this signal from a neutrino+dark matter simulation.

Affiliation: University of ��ݮ��Ƶ and Perimeter Institute

Morgan Mastrovich

Spectral manipulation of entangled photons with an upconversion time lens

Sources of entangled photons with precisely controlled properties are necessary for effective and efficient photonic quantum communication, computation, and metrology. The nonlinear process of spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) provides a reliable source of energy-time entangled photons, but most SPDC sources tend to produce photons with frequency anti-correlations. Photon pairs with positively correlated spectra may be useful for quantum-enhanced clock synchronization [1], but control over the correlations after state generation has not yet been demonstrated. Spectral control over a photon after it has been created is highly desirable for ultrafast manipulation and state engineering, especially at wavelengths where materials with suitable phasematching do not exist [2, 3].

A time lens operates on the temporal and frequency distributions of light in the same way that a conventional glass lens manipulates the spatial and momentum profiles of a beam [4]. Chromatic dispersion, or chirping, spreads the temporal profile of a beam such that each temporal slice of the beam has a distinct central frequency. One promising implementation of a time lens combines a single photon with a strong classical escort pulse using sum frequency generation (SFG), leaving an imprint of the spectral dispersion of the escort on the upconverted photon. Combined with an appropriate amount of dispersion on both the single photon and the escort beam, this time lens can stretch, compress, and invert the spectral and temporal waveforms of the photon. Using this temporal imaging technique to invert the spectral waveform of one photon in an entangled pair will reverse the spectral correlations between the entangled photons.

In this work, detailed in [5], we demonstrate control of a twin-photon joint spectral intensity through the use of an upconversion time lens on the ultrafast timescale. We measure a statistical correlation of −0.97 in the joint spectral intensity of an energy-time-entangled pair produced with SPDC, indicating strong frequency anti- correlations consistent with energy conservation found in traditional bulk SPDC sources. We apply a temporal imaging technique to the signal photon of the downconverted pair, and observe a strong positive statistical correlation of +0.86 between the untouched idler photon and the upconverted signal photon. We also show that the central frequency of the upconverted joint spectrum can be manipulated by introducing a time delay in the escort pulse. The technique presented is free of intense broadband noise at the target wavelengths. Control of the correlation of joint spectra as demonstrated in this work may be directly useful for shaping the spectra of entangled pairs for long-distance communications [2] and quantum-enhanced metrology [1] and, more generally, to mold the time-frequency distributions of entangled photons for experiments both fundamental and practical.

References:
[1] V. Giovannetti, S. Lloyd, L. Maccone, “Quantum-enhanced positioning and clock synchronization,” Nature 412, 417–419 (2001).
[2] W. P. Grice, A. B. U’Ren, I. A. Walmsley, “Eliminating frequency and space-time correlations in multiphoton states,” Phys. Rev. A 64, 063815 (2001).

Affiliation: Institute for Quantum Computing

Jennifer Reid

Modelling the peak thermal conductivity of Dysprosium Titanate

Dysprosium titanate (Dy2Ti2O7 or DTO) is a key candidate for studying the thermal transport of magnetic monopoles due to its geometrically frustrated lattice. However, monopole thermal transport results differ depending on the peak thermal conductivity of the material. The height of this peak gives qualitative information about the number of lattice imperfections in each sample which can be quantified with modelling techniques. In this talk, I will discuss using the Callaway model of thermal conductivity to analyze the peak thermal conductivity of differing DTO samples.

Affiliation: University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Carolyn Cadogan

The Optical Properties of Silicon Nanoparticles

Though silicon (Si) is a non-toxic and abundant semiconductor used extensively in the electronic and photovoltaic industries, the poor light emission of this material has stifled its use in optical and optoelectronic devices. The ability to use Si in such applications has many advantages that include low fabrication cost and high compatibility with existing technology. Therefore, there is a need to develop a Si-based light source by improving the light emission of Si, in order for Si to be used in such devices. In recent years, Si nanoparticles (Si-NPs) have been shown to be a promising candidate for developing such a light source.

The reason a Si-NP light emitting diode (LED) has yet to be produced is that although Si-NPs have greater light emission than bulk Si, the light produced by these NPs is still too low in intensity to be used in a commercial device. It is for this reason that we have explored various approaches for improving the luminescence of Si-NPs and for studying the mechanisms responsible for their luminescence. One such approach is to dope the matrix in which the Si-NPs are housed. We have observed an increase in the luminescence of Si-NPs embedded in silicon nitride when aluminum dopants are introduced via ion implantation and that this increase in internsity is dependent on dopant concentration.

Affiliation: Western University

Emma McKay

When will a qubit's interaction show what shape it is inside?

Superconducting qubits operate via interaction with the electromagnetic field in highly tunable scenarios, making them ideal for experimental explorations of the light-matter interaction. The qubits are subject to a natural but uncharacterized ultraviolet cutoff---materials stop behaving as superconductors at high frequencies. The long-range nature of the interaction can be modeled as a spatial smearing. In a weak coupling regime, it is reasonable to assume a sharp ultraviolet cutoff and pointlike qubit.

As the strength of coupling increases, this assumption needs to be assessed. We use the Unruh-DeWitt model in 1+1D to investigate the effect of the cutoff and smearing function on qubit dynamics using an experimentally realizable non-adiabatic switching function. We find that the cutoff is the primary contributor to the effective shape of the qubit and that, in an ideal scenario, the wrong choice of cutoff introduces significant noise.

This work was done in collaboration with Adrian Lupascu and Eduardo Martin-Martinez.

Affiliation: Institute for Quantum Computing

Student poster session

Student poster sessions are scheduled Wednesday, July 26 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Amina Berrada, University of Ottawa
Simon Daley, Institute for Quantum Computing
Florence Grenapin, University of Ottawa
Aimee Gunther, Institute for Quantum Computing
Olivera Kralj, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Ardalan Mahmoodi, University of Toronto
Morgan Mastrovich, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Quantum Computing
Chelsea-Lea Randall, University of Saskatchewan
Laura Sberna, Perimeter Institute
Melissa Schmitz, Le Moyne College
Nigar Sultana, Institute for Quantum Computing
Bingyao Tan, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ
Emily Tyhurst, University of British Columbia
Edith Yeung, Western University

Amina Berrada

A “two-peak” pattern observed in the high-frequency neural oscillations of a weakly electric fish

Authors: Amina Berrada, Courtney Tower, John Lewis, Béla Joós

Weakly electric fish produce a high-frequency oscillating electric field that allows them to navigate and communicate in the dark. Their clock-like signal is the least variable of any known biological oscillator, but the mechanisms underlying this extreme precision are not clear. We recorded electric discharges in Apteronotus albifrons (blackghost knifefish) at 50MHz sampling frequency to characterize temporal precision under different conditions, such as a varying temperature. We used three different approaches to analyse cycle-to-cycle variability: the first involved a simple signal threshold; the second was based on the signal envelope using Hilbert transforms; and the third, which was the most accurate, used the phase of the Hilbert transform. One important observation was that under certain conditions, the histogram of cycle periods exhibits two peaks. We hypothesize that the electric organs on the left and right sides of the fish are independent oscillators that normally are synchronized but can also operate separately under some conditions. We will discuss the implications of our results on the neural generation of high-frequency signals and the insight that it provides for brain oscillations in general.

Affiliation: University of Ottawa

Simon Daley

Bright quantum dot source of entangled photon pairs

Bright, deterministic sources of entangled photon pairs are a crucial component for photonic implementations of quantum communication and quantum information processing, as well as a valuable resource for quantum optical experiments and quantum sensing technologies. To date, no sources have been demonstrated which combine high entanglement fidelity and high photon pair efficiency, which are key requirements of deterministic sources.

This poster presents a promising new solid-state nanostructure source which consists of a quantum dot that generates a single very high fidelity polarization-entangled photon pair in response to a laser excitation pulse with a very high probability, and a nanowire structure which directs both emitted photons towards collection optics by allowing the spatial mode to leak adiabatically from the wire’s tapered tip. The device has a photon pair efficiency two orders of magnitude higher than a bare quantum dot, and has entanglement fidelities of nearly 90%.

Numerical simulations suggest that implementing a handful of modifications to the device and experimental setup could yield near unity (>95%) entanglement fidelity and photon pair efficiency in the near future. Such a source would make practical quantum repeaters and other long-distance quantum communication schemes attainable, and would expand the scale and quality of experiments that can be conducted with entangled photons by increasing the source brightness by several orders of magnitude relative to the currently used spontaneous parametric down-conversion sources. It would also be possible to modify the device to allow on-chip integration and electrical excitation, both of which would be very useful for scalable linear optical quantum computing.

Affiliation: Institute for Quantum Computing

Florence Grenapin

Electrochemical etching of sharp tips for scanning probe microscopy application

A wide variety of tip shapes are needed for different scanning probe microscopy applications, and although there are established chemical procedures to produce tips, procedures to precisely control the shape of the resulting tips are still lacking. We present our method of shaping W tips used for scanning tunneling microscopy imaging, using an electrochemical etching process. Aiming to produce tips of certain desired shapes, we investigate the effects of different parameters of the electrochemical etching process on the geometry of the resulting tip." height="1" src="/women-in-physics-canada-2017/profiles/uw_base_profile/modules/contrib/wysiwyg/plugins/break/images/spacer.gif" width="1" />

Affiliation: University of Ottawa

Aimee Gunther

Spatial and spectral analysis of type-0 downconversion in bulk PPLN

Collinear Type-0 (eee) interaction of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) has found much use in both bulk and waveguide entangled photon generation applications. In particular, Type-0 interactions from cw-pumped bulk periodically poled media has been useful in demonstrating energy-time entanglement large spectral bandwidth emission. In this work, the spatial and spectral properties of the Type-0 SPDC interaction in periodically poled 5% magnesium oxide-doped lithium niobate (PPLN) are simulated and experimentally verified over a range of phasematching temperatures showing a strong noncollinear emission outside of the typical collinear configuration. This has be previously characterized for Type-0 interactions in periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate, but never for PPLN.

Affiliation: Institute for Quantum Computing

Olivera Kralj

Evaluation of corneal thickness in Keratoconic subjects using sub-micrometer axial resolution SD-OCT

The cornea plays an important role in focusing light and protecting the eye from harmful matter. Degenerative corneal conditions or habits such as frequent rubbing of the eye can cause damage to these layers and severely affect one's vision. Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive non-inflammatory disease that results in the thinning of the cornea, causing it to weaken and steepen into an abnormal conical shape leading to many vision problems, the most common being blurred vision. This degenerative disease can be diagnosed from adolescence (16 years) to middle age (30 to 40 years).

In this study a high resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) system was developed to image healthy and keratoconic corneas in-vivo at a cellular level. Images will then be used to compare the structure of healthy and keratoconic corneas and make observations on the changes brought about by the disease. The goal is to develop a system that would allow for early diagnosis of KC which has become essential in preventing the further progression of this disease through various treatment modalities such as contact lenses or surgery.

Affiliation: University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Ardalan Mahmoodi

An ab initio study on electronic structure of gallium nitride in cubic lattices

In this paper we have studied theoretically the possibility of existence the rock salt ( NaCl) phase of gallium nitride and have compared it with zinc-blende. Calculations have been done in the framework of density functional theory (DFT) and Local Density Approximation ( LDA ) for exchange correlation energy, using Quantum-SPRESSO package. We have obtained equilibrium lattice constant, bulk modulus, band structures, and density of states for GaN in zinc blend and NaCl phases. The results for zincblende phase are in good agreement with experiment. Furthermore, the calculations for NaCl phase show a narrow indirect band gap of 0.6 eV for GaN.

Affiliation: University of Toronto

Morgan Mastrovich

Spectral manipulation of entangled photons with an upconversion time lens

A time lens, which can be used to reshape the spectral and temporal properties of light, requires ultrafast manipulation of optical signals and presents a significant challenge for single-photon application. In this work, we construct a time lens based on dispersion and sum-frequency generation to spectrally engineer single photons from an entangled pair. The strong frequency anti-correlations between photons produced from spontaneous parametric downconversion are converted to positive correlations after the time lens, consistent with a negative-magnification system. The temporal imaging of single photons enables new techniques for time-frequency quantum state engineering.

Affiliation: University of ��ݮ��Ƶ, Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Quantum Computing

Chelsea-Lea Randall

DY Pegasi

Using photos taken of the variable star DY Pegasi, the light curves were analyzed to determine features of the star. It was concluded that DY Pegasi is 333.3 light-years away and varies in surface temperature from 7150 K to 8390 K.

Affiliation: University of Saskatchewan

Laura Sberna

Quantum Tunneling with a Lorentzian Path Integral

We describe the tunnelling of a quantum mechanical particle with a Lorentzian (real-time) path integral. The analysis is made concrete by application to the inverted harmonic oscillator potential, where the path integral is known exactly. We apply Picard-Lefschetz theory to the time integral of the Feynmann propagator at fixed energy, and show that the Euclidean integration contour is obtained as a Lefschetz thimble, or a sum of them, in a suitable limit.

Picard-Lefschetz theory is used to make the integral manifestly convergent and is also essential for the saddle point or semi- classical approximation. The very simple example of the inverted harmonic oscillator presents many of the interesting feature found when dealing with instantons, such as the Stokes phenomenon and multiple relevant complex saddles.

Affiliation: Perimeter Institute

Melissa Schmitz

Synthesis and Characterization of Lithium Carboxylates for Use in Liquid Organic Scintillator

Fast neutron spectroscopy can be performed using lithium-loaded organic liquid scintillators. Typical loading involves emulsifying an aqueous lithium salt into a scintillator cocktail. A proposed improvement on this approach dissolves long-chain lithium carboxylate salts directly into an organic scintillator. The synthesis and characterization of lithium dodecanoate, lithium octanoate, and lithium hexanoate in commercial scintillator cocktails Ultima Gold AB and a custom Eljen scintillator in terms of solubility and light transmittance properties is discussed.

Affiliation: Le Moyne College

Nigar Sultana

Detector module for cubesat to investigate lower orbit radiation damage mitigation

We report the design and implementation of a detector module (DM) for cubesat to execute periodic lower earth orbit laser and thermal annealing. We will study the effeciency of these methods to mitigate the in-orbit radiation damage. The DM has the form factor of a cubesat and contains four avalanche photo diodes (APDs) - two SLiKs and two C30902SHs from Excelitas. Thermal annealing can be performed by controlling the detectors’ integrated thermoelectric coolers (TECs). A TEC driver controls the heating and cooling temperature of the TECs.

To execute laser annealing, the APDs will be illuminated by a high power laser through the fiber connectors of the APDs. An embedded processor (Cypress PSoC-3) controls the functionality of the DM which is interfaced by a PC/104 connector which also supplies the essential power supply to the DM. The DM, mass ~120 g and consumes ~1.2 W of power, and is contained in a volume of only 95 mm х 95 mm х 38 mm. This experiment is expected to have prospective contributions to the satellite quantum communication, especially on quantum key distribution.

Affiliation: Institute for Quantum Computing

Bingyao Tan

Retinal structural, functional and blood perfusion change in a rat model of glaucoma

Glaucoma causes progressive damage to the retinal morphology, blood perfusion and the retinal ganglion cells functional response, and eventually leads to blindness. This study explores the correlation between transient changes in the retinal blood flow and the functional response of the retina to a flash stimulus, associated with acute elevation of the intraocular pressure (IOP), as measured with a combined optical coherence tomography (OCT) and electroretinography (ERG) system. Results show non-linear decrease of the retinal blood flow and the magnitude of the ERG a- and b-waves with progressive increase of the IOP from baseline (10 mmHg) to 80 mmHg.

Affiliation: University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Emily Tyhurst

Separating costs of state-independent and state-dependent contextuality in Mermin's Square

Connections between negativity in quasiprobability distributions and quantum contextuality as a resource for computation are well-established in local Hilbert space dimension greater than two. However, for qubits the separation between state-independent and state-dependant contextuality complicates matters. Through the canonical example of Mermin's square, I present a simple contextual hidden variable model that allows for a classical simulation of the system. The simulation method deliberately separates costs due to state-independent contextuality, provided by two different hidden variable models; and the costs due to state-dependent contextuality, provided by a quasiprobability distribution over the hidden variable models.

Affiliation: University of British Columbia

Edith Yeung

Incorporation of radical polymers in perovskite solar cells as hole transport materials

The damaging effects of greenhouse gasses and depleting availability of fossil fuels have led scientists to turn their gaze towards the research of alternative clean, sustainable forms of energy. Sunlight is a promising form of clean energy source that will not run out within the span of human history. Although silicon solar cells are still dominating the market of photovoltaic devices, new thin-film solar cell solutions are sought in order to limit costs at increasing photoconversion efficiency. Perovskite thin film solar cells (PSCs), in particular, have gained significant attention in recent years due to their rapidly increasing solar energy efficiency conversion. PSCs are capable of harvesting the sun’s light and converting it into usable energy in a similar fashion to that of plant leaves.

Although the overall fabrication of PSCs is inexpensive, the some of the materials required as hole-transport layers are quite costly. Due to their specific electron energy levels, Oxoverdazyl radical polymers with tunable charge states are suitable to be used in perovskite solar cells. These polyradicals are stable towards air exposure and temperature, and they can be reliably synthesized. One of their unique properties, include the ability of oxoverdazyl polyradicals to change their electrical conductivity depending on the voltage applied, making it useful in the assistance of charge transfer. The aim of this project is to incorporate this radical polymer into the standard PSC to assist in the redox reaction necessary for the function of the cell.

Affiliation: Western University

Quantum Innovators in science and engineering 2017

Takudzwa Chipo Valerie Mudzongo — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 11:14:05 +0000

Quantum Innovators in science and engineering 2017 Takudzwa Chipo… Tue, 10/15/2024 - 07:14

The Quantum Innovators in science and engineering workshop brings together the most promising young researchers in quantum physics and engineering. Guests are invited for a four-day conference aimed at exploring the frontier of our field.

The workshop is held at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ.

Attendees are postdoctoral fellows.
Attendees are experimentalists or theorist of experiments in quantum physics and engineering.
All attendees will give a talk on their research.
There is no fee for attendance, accommodations or food. Travel expenses will be covered through the Transformative Quantum Technologies research initiative thanks in part to funding through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF).

If you have any questions about the event, please email qinnovators@uwaterloo.ca.

Ray's 60th Celebration

Takudzwa Chipo Valerie Mudzongo — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 11:06:38 +0000

Ray's 60th Celebration Takudzwa Chipo… Tue, 10/15/2024 - 07:06

In July 2020, Raymond Laflamme will turn 60. To celebrate this milestone, an anniversary conference is in order. Ray’s main wish is to hear from his former students and postdocs. We therefore decided to invite exclusively people who, at one point or another in their career, were under the mentorship of this accomplished scientist.

This reunion conference is meant the be low-key and relaxed –a time to hear from and catch up with old friends and colleagues while having some fun, good food and perhaps challenge Ray to a good old game of ball hockey!

We would like an update from as many of you as possible. Let us know if you would like to give a five or twenty-five minute presentation, or just catch up with people during social time. Your presentation can, but doesn’t have to be an academic talk. It can be an update on your career, what you work on, or something else that you want to share with the group. Ideally, your presentation would link back to Ray. Presentation spots are limited.

Date: July 24-26 (all day, finishing around 5pm on Sunday)

Location: Institute for Quantum Computing, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

Organizing Committee:
Aharon Brodutch, University of Toronto
Martin Laforest, ISARA Corporation
Shayan Majidy, Institute for Quantum Computing
Daniel Park, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology

Raymond Laflamme's 60th Birthday Conference

Takudzwa Chipo Valerie Mudzongo — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 10:59:58 +0000

Raymond Laflamme's 60th Birthday Conference Takudzwa Chipo… Tue, 10/15/2024 - 06:59

July 19 – 21, 2023
Institute for Quantum Computing
University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

This conference marking Raymond Laflamme's 60th birthday is to celebrate Raymond and his many contributions to quantum computing. As per Raymond's request, the conference will consist solely of his former students and postdocs. The conference is divided into three days of scientific talks and networking.

Schedule

Lazaridis QNC 0101

Time	Wednesday, July 19	Thursday, July 20	Friday, July 21
9:00 am - 9:30 am	Breakfast, Registration, and Rapid-Antigen Tests	Breakfast	Breakfast
9:30 am - 10:45 am	Welcome and Session 1a	Session 2a	Session 3a
10:45 am - 11:15 am	Coffee Break	Coffee Break	Coffee Break
11:15 am - 12:30 pm	Session 1b	Session 2b	Session 3b
12:30 pm - 1:50 pm	Lunch	Lunch	Lunch
1:50 pm - 3:05 pm	Session 1c	Session 2c	Session 3c
3:05 pm - 5:20 pm	Networking Activity 1 at RAC (RAC tours and floor hockey)	Networking Activity 2 (Huron Natural Area)	Networking Activity 3 (Brewery Tour)
5:20 pm - 6:00 pm	Break to freshen up (Delta Hotel)	Break to freshen up (Delta Hotel)	Networking Activity 3 (Brewery Tour)
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm	Dinner (Beer Town)	Dinner (Perimeter Institute Bistro)	Dinner (Huether Hotel)

Scientific Schedule

Time	July 19	July 20	July 21
9:30 - 9:55	Welcome & Logistics Shayan Majidy	Quantum Computing Exploration at Yonsei Daniel Kyungdeock Park	Multi-core Quantum Computation Aharon Brodutch
9:55 - 10:20	Semiconductor Quantum Devices Jonathan Baugh	Advancements in Alternative Approaches to Quantum Machine Learning Casey Myers	Stochastic Quantum Channels Matthew A. Graydon
10:20 - 10:45	Unitary and Dissipative Simulation of Diffusion Processes Pooya Ronagh	Density Matrix Exponentiation and its Applications Dawei Lu	Activation of Strong Local Passive States with Quantum Information Nayeli A. Rodriguez Briones
Coffee Break
11:15 - 11:40	Bringing Quantum to the Museum in a Big Way Martin LaForest	Noncommuting Charges in Quantum Thermodynamics and Beyond Shayan Majidy	Fast Quantum State Tomography in the Nitrogen Vacancy Center of Diamond Jingfu Zhang
11:40 - 12:05	Beyond Academia, Data Science in Industry Paulina Corona Ugalde	Quantum Computation Using Photonic Quantum Walks Chandrashekar C. Madaiah	Simple Master Equations for Describing Driven Systems Subject to Highly Non-Markovian Noise Peter Groszkowski
12:05 - 12:30	Inclusion as a Principle David Rideout	Photonic Quantum Science and Technologies Urbasi Sinha	Universal Computing Models: The Quantum Landscape Dongsheng Wang
Lunch
1:50 - 2:15	One-Bit Addition with the Smallest Interesting Colour Code Ben Criger	Building a Quantum Start-Up Chris Erven	Using Quantum Computers to Solve Industry Problems Alexandre Martins de Souza
2:15 - 2:40	Speed Limits for Fault-tolerant Quantum Computation Mike Vasmer	Noisy Measurements in Quantum Error Correction and How to Handle Them Stefanie Beale	IQC Hospital for Advanced Personalized Quantum Cancer Treatment Robabeh Rahimi
2:40 - 3:05	Raymond Laflamme, Complexity Theorist Scott Aaronson	Logical Gates in Quantum Error Correction Tomas Jochym-O'Connor	Closing Remarks Raymond Laflamme

Addresses

Institute for Quantum Computing, University of ��ݮ��Ƶ

200 University Ave West, ��ݮ��Ƶ

Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Center (QNC)

University of ��ݮ��Ƶ map

Delta Hotel ��ݮ��Ƶ

110 Erb Street West,
��ݮ��Ƶ

Perimeter Institute

31 Caroline Street,
��ݮ��Ƶ

Huether Hotel

59 King Street North,
��ݮ��Ƶ

Beer Town

75 King St S ��ݮ��Ƶ

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Shayan Majidy (smajidy@uwaterloo.ca)

Quantum Connections 2024: Quantum Perspectives

Elizabeth Kleisath — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 20:41:53 +0000

Quantum Connections 2024: Quantum Perspectives Elizabeth Kleisath Thu, 04/11/2024 - 16:41

Quantum Connections is an annual networking conference hosted by the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of ��ݮ��Ƶ on May 1-2, 2024.

The conference aims to encourage the thriving quantum ecosystem in Canada by connecting professionals from government, industry and academic sectors in an innovative and collaborative environment.

Quantum Connections 2024 will consider the theme Quantum Perspectives: the impacts and outlooks driving our future. Panel discussion topics include Quantum + Business, Quantum + Law and Policy, Quantum + Research Security, Quantum + Impact, and Quantum + The Near Future. See the full schedule and speaker bios on the Quantum Connections Programming page.

Keynote speakers:

Dr. Aleksander Kubica: Quantum + Chess

Calista Besseling: Quantum + Beyond