Harvard University Department of Physics

Artificial Intelligence Accelerates Efforts to Develop Clean, Virtually Limitless Fusion Energy

Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science that is transforming scientific inquiry and industry, could now speed the development of safe, clean and virtually limitless fusion energy for generating electricity.

Alex Atanasov wins Hertz, NSF, NDSEG Fellowships

Congratulations to Alex Atanasov, winner of Hertz, NSF GRFP, and NDSEG fellowships!

Students Win NSF GRFP Awards

Congratulations to 2019 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Winners: Bernstein, Cesarotti, Contreras, Krulewski, Lee, Putnam, and Wang!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday, April 29th

Chris Monroe - University of Maryland
Start: 04:15pm - End: 05:15pm
- Quantum Computing with Atomic Ions
  
  Quantum information science exploits the bizarre features of quantum mechanics -- uncertainty, entanglement, and measurement -- to perform tasks that are impossible using conventional means, such as computing over ungodly amounts of data, and communicating via teleportation. I will describe the leading architecture of a scalable quantum computer, based on individual atoms that store and process quantum bits (qubits) of information. I will summarize the development and performance of atomic ion trap systems at both university and industrial settings, including demonstrations of quantum algorithms and simulations that show a path to scaling quantum computers to useful dimensions, and also a high-level software layer that allows autonomy and remote use via a cloud service. I will also speculate on how this system can realistically be scaled to thousands of qubits and beyond with continued improvements in performance.
- 04:15pm
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Tuesday, April 30th

MATHPHYS:
Start: 03:00pm - End: 03:00pm
- Organizer: Mathematical Picture Language Seminar
- 03:00pm
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CUA Seminar: Prof. Lorenza Viola (Dartmouth University)
Start: 04:00pm - End: 05:30pm
- 04:00pm
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Wednesday, May 1st

Mark Menesses - BU
Start: 06:00pm - End: 07:30pm
- 06:00pm
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David M. Lee Historical Lecture in Physics (Anton Zeilinger,)
Start: 08:00pm - End: 09:00pm
- "Quantum information and Quantum communication, foundations, and prospects"
- 08:00pm
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Thursday, May 2nd

ITAMP Luncheon: Alan Jamison, hosted by Bihui Zhu
Start: 12:00pm - End: 01:00pm
- Speaker: Alan Jamison
- 12:00pm
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CMP seminar: Eric Hudson (Penn State), hosted by Hoffman
Start: 03:00pm - End: 04:00pm
- Title: Strain Modulated Superlattices in Graphene
  
  Abstract: The quest to create novel material systems with designer electronic properties has often led to the investigation of interfaces and superlattices. The potential of customizing properties by merging different 2D materials via vertical or horizontal stacking to create van der Waals or lateral heterostructures seems limitless. In this presentation I will discuss an alternative approach. The local electronic properties of a continuous graphene sheet can be periodically varied by strain modulation, created by exerting extreme (>10%) shear and tensile strains. Similar to a sheet of plastic wrap pulled taut at its edges, the graphene buckles, forming nanoscale ripples. Within these strain-induced ripples the carbon-carbon bond lengths vary from short to long, creating dense and rare regions of the material respectively, with properties as different as in two different materials. Thus a single graphene sheet effectively becomes an electronic superlattice in which novel electronic states arise at the interfaces. I will present the results of scanning tunneling microscopy and theoretical investigations of this system, and discuss their potential to help realize many longstanding theoretical proposals, such as valley filters, snake states and electron optics in graphene and other 2D materials.
- 03:00pm
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Wednesday, May 8th

Hyunmin Yi - Tufts
Start: 06:00pm - End: 07:30pm
- 06:00pm
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