QSE Distinguished Quantum Lectures: Amir Safavi-Naeini and Yasunobu Nakamura

The Center for Quantum Science and Engineering (QSE) and the Laboratory of Photonics and Quantum Measurements (K-Lab) are pleased to welcome two internationally renowned quantum scientists with pioneering contributions to physics and quantum technology who will give the QSE Distinguished Quantum Lectures at EPFL on September 27.

13:15 - 14:15: "High-fidelity readout of superconducting qubits", Prof. Yasunobu Nakamura, University of Tokyo
14:15 - 14:45: Coffee break
15:00 - 16:00: "Integrated quantum photonic and acoustic sensors", Prof. Amir Safavi-Naeini, Stanford University

Prof. Nakamura pioneered the superconducting qubit platform and has broad expertise in superconducting quantum computing and hybrid quantum systems. Prof. Safavi-Naeini has pioneering works in the fields of quantum cavity optomechanics, coupling light and sound on a chip, as well as pathbreaking contributions to nano-electromechanical systems, including qubits, and novel approaches in nonlinear optics in integrated photonic circuits.

 "High-fidelity readout of superconducting qubits", Prof. Yasunobu Nakamura

Abstract:
Measurement is the basis of science. To understand phenomena, we need to obtain precise and accurate data. Therefore, it is not surprising that science and technology have advanced together with the progress in measurement techniques. It is also the case with superconducting quantum circuits: Novel readout schemes have brought innovative ideas and new developments. High-fidelity readout of qubits is also an essential element for quantum computing. We review representative examples and discuss our approach for fast, high-fidelity, and non-demolition readout schemes. 

Bio: 
Yasu Nakamura started his research career at NEC Fundamental Research Laboratories in 1992, where he demonstrated the first coherent manipulation of a superconducting qubit in 1999 and met quantum information science. He also spent a year as a Visiting Researcher at TU Delft from 2001 to 2002. Since 2012, he has been a Professor at The University of Tokyo. He has also been leading his research team at RIKEN since 2014. He is currently the Director of RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and the Project Leader of the MEXT Q-LEAP Flagship project on Superconducting Quantum Computing.

"Integrated quantum photonic and acoustic sensors", Prof. Amir Safavi-Naeini

Abstract:
Integrated sensors have fundamentally revolutionized nearly all electronic systems. How can quantum technology elevate these achievements even further? What new frontiers could the incorporation of quantum mechanics introduce to the realm of integrated sensors?  In this talk, I aim to address these intriguing questions. I'll start by presenting Stokowski et al's demonstration of an integrated quantum optical sensor in thin-film lithium niobate -- a nearly fully-integrated sensor that uses quantum engineered ("squeezed") light to enhance electro-optic phase detection. Then I will move into the realm of acoustic sensors. I'll present Cleland et al's study, where we leverage a superconducting qubit as the electronic back-end of a nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) sensor, offering detailed insights into the nuances of mechanical processes at the quantum level. Concluding the talk, I'll highlight our recent work by Jiang, Mayor, et al. [3], that brings optics and acoustics together, generating correlated optical and microwave photons. Our work highlights a few paths forward for harnessing the full promise of quantum advantage in sensing, with the potential to usher in new horizons of precision and capability in deployable sensors.

Bio:
Amir Safavi-Naeini is an Associate Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University. He received his B.A.Sc. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada in 2008, and his Ph.D. in Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology in 2013 (Painter lab). He came to Stanford in September 2014 after a post-doc at ETH Zurich in the group of Andreas Wallraff.
In his work at Caltech and Stanford, Safavi-Naeini developed optomechanical devices resulting in some of the first experiments showing quantum optomechanical phenomena. The current focus of his group's research is developing photonic, phononic, and microwave devices for quantum sensing, communications, and information processing. He is the author of more than 50 journal papers and co-inventor on 5 US patents/applications. He has been awarded the Terman (2015, 2018), Hellman (2016), Packard (2017) fellowships, and the DARPA Young Faculty Award (2019).

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