Jens Koch
Yale University
In the early days of quantum mechanics, Gedanken experiments
played a crucial role in probing the consistency of the quantum
theoretical framework. The “Gedanken” (thought) character was mainly
owed to the fact that the proposed experiments seemed outrageously
difficult - if not impossible - to carry out. Much, however, has
changed since then. Modern experiments have succeeded in eliminating
this Gedanken character and have opened new vistas for harnessing
quantum mechanics in applications such as quantum computing and
quantum simulation.
One approach to taming the quantum world consists of constructing
tunable artificial atoms and devising schemes for manipulating and
measuring their quantum states at will. In a concerted effort of
theorists and experimentalists, part of this dream has become true in
the form of circuit QED, where one utilizes small superconducting
circuits as artificial atoms and couples them to the electromagnetic
field for control and readout.
In this talk, I will introduce you to some of the quantum tricks
one can play with circuit QED and I will give you an update on the two
artificial atoms named “transmon” and “fluxonium”, which currently
stand in the forefront of coherence in superconducting circuits.
Finally, I will discuss the exciting idea of using circuit QED
lattices to explore strong correlations and quantum phase transitions
in a system of interacting photons. Once realized, such a system could
be employed as a quantum simulator of interesting many-body states.
Thursday, January 14th at 4:00 PM
Room F235, Technological Institute
Refreshments are served at 3:30 PM
