Harvard University Department of Physics

Kim Wins Tomassoni-Chisesi Prize

Congratulations to Prof. Philip Kim for winning the 2018 Caterina Tomassoni and Felice Pietro Chisesi Prize...

Striking Isotope Effect on the Metallization Phase Lines of Liquid Hydrogen and Deuterium

Metallizaton of hydrogen and its isotopes has been one of the great challenging problems in condensed matter physics. There are two pathways to metallic hydrogen: very high pressure and low temperatures to make solid metallic hydrogen, or intermediate pressures...

Halperin Awarded 2019 APS Medal

Prof. Bertrand Halperin has been awarded the 2019 Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Research by the American Physical Society...

UPCOMING EVENTS

Today

Prof. Wei Zhang - UMass Boston
Start: 06:00pm - End: 07:30pm
- 06:00pm
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Tomorrow

CMP Seminar: Leonid Levitov (MIT), hosted by Ashvin Vishwanath
Start: 12:00pm - End: 01:00pm
- Title: Title: Symmetry-protected long-lived excitations and tomographic dynamics in 2D electron fluids
  
  Abstract: Abstract: This talk will discuss the peculiar collective behavior in two-dimensional Fermi gases originating from the head-on carrier-carrier collisions. Such collisions dominate in 2D Fermi systems at cold temperatures T <
- 12:00pm
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ITAMP Lunch Seminar
Start: 12:00pm - End: 01:00pm
- Speaker: Joonhee Choi
- 12:00pm
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Monday, September 24th

Professor Subir Sachdev, Harvard University
Start: 04:15pm - End: 05:15pm
- Strange metals and black holes
  
  The ‘strange metal’, is a state of matter formed by electrons in many modern materials, including the compounds which exhibit high temperature superconductivity.
  In this state, electrons quantum entangle with each other and conduct electric current collectively (rather than one-by-one, as in an ordinary metal like copper).
  Quantum entanglement also has remarkable effects near the horizon of a black hole, leading to the Bekenstein-Hawking black hole entropy, and the Hawking temperature.
  Surprisingly, there is a deep connection between the nature of quantum entanglement in strange metals and black holes, and this has led to mutually beneficial insights.
  This connection is simply described by the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model, which leads to a common set of equations describing the quantum dynamics of certain strange metals and black holes.
- 04:15pm
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Tuesday, September 25th

Special ITAMP Lunch Seminar
Start: 12:00pm - End: 01:30pm
- 12:00pm
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CUA Seminar: Kristian Helmerson (Monash University)
Start: 04:00pm - End: 05:30pm
- 04:00pm
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MATH: TBA
Start: 04:00pm - End: 05:00pm
- 04:00pm
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Wednesday, September 26th

Joint Quantum Sciences Colloquium - Peter Drummond & Margaret Reid (Swinburne University of Technology)
Start: 04:00pm - End: 06:00pm
- Mesosopic Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen states of massive systemsMargaret D ReidThe demonstration of long-lived entanglement between two separated massive systems opens up the possibility of new tests of quantum mechanics and decoherence theories. For example, the intriguing idea of spatially dependent decoherence was put forward by Furry [1] in response to Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen’s (EPR) paradox paper [2], which highlighted the inconsistency of quantum mechanics with the classical premise of local realism. Furry’s hypothesis is not a part of conventional quantum mechanics. It could occur in a modified quantum mechanics. In the EPR paradox, a measurement made by an observer at one location can seemingly instantaneously affect the quantum state at another. States that demonstrate the correlations of an EPR paradox were thus called “steerable” by Schrodinger. Here, we will present evidence for EPR steerable entangled states of 40,000 atoms generated in a Bose-Einstein condensate [3]. The structure of the correlations can be further analysed, to deduce miniature cat-type paradoxes with atoms. In order to investigate EPR steerable states with spatial separations, we present a protocol for creating, storing and retrieving EPR steerable states of an opto-mechanical oscillator [4]. This leads us to consider the possibility of generating mechanical Schrodinger cat-states, and to test macroscopic realism for massive systems using Leggett–Garg and Bell inequalities in time. Simulations of many-body systems: Furry and Coleman revisited Peter D Drummond Wendell Furry [1] and Sydney Coleman [5] were two of Harvard's most original quantum theorists. What can modern technology contribute to their work? Experimentally tested simulations of opto-mechanics[4] and atom interferometers [3], with thermal noise and losses, will be used to analyse proposals for testing Furry's nonlocal decoherence, and Coleman's QFT tunnelling to the true vacuum. Both entanglement decoherence and massive Schrodinger cats are testable [4] through an optomechanical memory, simulated using the positive-P representation. Coleman's vacuum tunnelling idea will be applied to construct a proposal for a laboratory model of the quantum fluctuations in the 'Big Bang', using a coupled BEC experiment simulated with a Wigner representation [6]. Who needs a ship in a bottle, when you can have a universe on table-top? [1] W. H. Furry, Phys. Rev. 49, 393 (1936).[2] A. Einstein, B. Podolsky, and N. Rosen, Phys. Rev. 47, 777  (1935).[3] M. Egorov et. al,  Phys. Rev. A 84, 021605 (2011).[4] S. Kiesewetter, R. Y. Teh, P. Drummond and M. Reid, Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 023601 (2017).[5] S. Coleman, Phys. Rev. D 15, 2929 (1977).[6] O. Fialko et. al., J. Phys. B 50 024003 (2017).
- 04:00pm
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Prof. Hyunsik Yoon - SEOULTECH
Start: 06:00pm - End: 07:30pm
- 06:00pm
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