Alum Jonathan Hoffman Heads Toward New Horizon in Navigation Science

As a PhD graduation present, UMD physics alumnus Jonathan Hoffman’s adviser gave him a signed copy of the book Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time. The book follows John Harrison, an 18th-century carpenter who took it upon himself to solve what was known as the longitude problem.

Jonathan Hoffman Jonathan Hoffman Back then, ships at sea had no way of measuring their longitude—their position east or west of the prime meridian—causing many to get lost and often shipwrecked as a result. Harrison built five generations of clocks—which he named H1 through H5—culminating in the most precise clock of his time that sailors could use to precisely track the sun’s location at noon and thus infer their longitude.

Longitude quickly became Hoffman’s favorite book. Eight years later, as a program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Hoffman started a new program called H6 seeking to build a ‘spiritual successor’ to Harrison’s clocks: a “6th clock” that would be a compact, affordable, and precise device that would help navigate in situations where a GPS signal is unavailable. “It's the clock that Harrison would build to solve today's timing problem,” Hoffman says. 

Harrison’s story was mired in controversy. In 1714, the British Parliament announced the Longitude Prize, an award of up to 20,000 pounds for anyone who could solve the longitude problem, but it was overseen by the royal astronomer—a proponent of the mainstream star-gazing (rather than Harrison’s timekeeping) approach. Although Harrison was awarded various prizes throughout his 45 years of work, he was never officially awarded the full prize.

As a program manager at DARPA, Hoffman’s role parallels not that of Harrison, but that of the Board of Longitude, which was established to oversee the prize. But his H6 program also seeks to avoid the mistakes made by that board. Instead of looking for a solution from a particular well-established technology, Hoffman wants to give scientists the opportunity to bring in new outside-the-box ideas. “I wanted to question if there’s a different way, a way of going back to the drawing board and making clocks, something that could be incredibly small but still maintain time correct to a microsecond for up to a week,” Hoffman says.

Scientific Roots

Hoffman hadn’t always had an eye toward project management. Like most who pursue a physics PhD, he grew up interested in science, broadly defined. “I always would like to grab books and look at astronomy pictures,” Hoffman recalls. Through high school and college, his interests in science, and physics in particular, deepened further. “I think it's fascinating that there's an underlying connection and description and law for how things function,” he says.

Entering graduate school at UMD in 2009, Hoffman intended to study string theory. “I was really enamored with the idea of understanding how all of the forces were unified,” he recalls. But a conversation with a theoretical physics professor at UMD steered Hoffman towards a more practical path in experimental physics. 

With an eye towards the future, Hoffman joined a lab overseen by Professors Luis Orozco and Steve Rolston, in collaboration with Fredrick Wellstood and Chris Lobb, working on a novel idea to combine different quantum computing technologies for the best of both worlds. The idea involved placing ultracold atoms—atoms cooled just a tad above absolute zero—next to superconducting qubits. Getting ultracold atoms and superconducting qubits close enough to each other and tuned appropriately to communicate with one another was a difficult proposition that had never been attempted before. To aid in the quest, the team decided to trap atoms in a light trap produced just outside an optical fiber. To coax an optical fiber into carrying most of the light just outside itself, rather than at its center, it was necessary to stretch the fiber incredibly thin—more than a hundred times smaller than a human hair.

The bulk of Hoffman’s graduate school work was to devise a technique for stretching optical fibers to that size, while ensuring that they continued to guide most of the light along their path. The requirements were stringent—just a few stray, unguided photons would destroy the superconducting state if they hit it. Virtually all of the light needed to remain guided by the fiber, trapping atoms. Hoffman and his labmates devised a bespoke machine for pulling the fiber, and a careful protocol that resulted in fibers that could retain a record 99.95% of the light.

Although the process was at times arduous, Hoffman credits his time in graduate school with teaching him to persist through a difficult problem. “Practically, day to day,” Hoffman says, “I don't think graduate school was as exciting and rewarding as what I do now. But it did teach some very important lessons about determination and focus.”

A Taste of the Bigger Picture

After graduating from UMD (and receiving his fortuitous graduation present) in 2014, Hoffman was still unsure what he wanted to do. A former student from the same lab told him about a job at Booz Allen Hamilton. “He said ‘you will help advise on who should get funding and you will follow people's work’,” Hoffman says. “And I didn't actually really understand what any of that meant, but I was lucky because I ended up loving it.”

The job description turned out to be exactly correct. At Booz Allen, Hoffman worked as an assistant to program managers at DARPA, learning about the work funded through the programs, and advising. “Having worked on a very particular problem for six years,” Hoffman says, “it was just an entirely broader array of subjects. I was looking at a field as a whole and seeing where there are technology gaps and how you can close them, helping advise on or what needs investment.”

Hoffman reveled in seeing the bigger picture and picking out areas where fundamental science, slightly refined, could benefit technology. He got to learn about and support programs in a broad array of fields, including atomic physics, chemical spectroscopy, integrated photonics and positioning, navigation, and timing. He worked alongside DARPA program managers and becoming one himself gradually became a career goal.

Inspired in part by Harrison’s story in the Longitude book, the related topics of positioning, navigation, and timing quickly became among Hoffman’s chief interests, along with quantum sensing. As the navigation-related program he was supporting was coming to a close, Hoffman realized that he wanted to dig deeper. As a Booz Allen Hamilton contractor, he would have been reassigned to other fields, so he found a new role at the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) where he was able to do a mix of research work and program management.

While at ARL, Hoffman collaborated with several UMD professors at the Quantum Technology Center and the Joint Quantum Institute. He worked closely with JQI Fellow and QTC Director Ronald Walsworth on quantum sensing problems—Walsworth’s area of expertise. He also continued thinking about positioning, navigation, and timing and started a program to create smaller clocks for portable GPS devices.

Juggling Programs and People

During his time at ARL, Hoffman was developing his ideas about alternative ways to make affordable yet precise clocks. When the opportunity arose to interview for a program management role at DARPA, he pitched his plan to encourage new approaches to the problem. “I guess they liked it well enough because they hired me,” Hoffman says.

Hoffman’s H6 program is set to begin in the coming months. Since arriving at DARPA in 2021, however, Hoffman’s interests have only broadened. He now dreams of a program to create portable MRI’s that could be an affordable tool in every doctor’s office and is managing other programs in quantum sensing and communication.

What he finds particularly rewarding about his work is the collaboration with a huge range of experts in different fields, from scientists to generals. “It is a really broad experience,” Hoffman says. “Working with academia, national labs, industry, large businesses, small businesses—it’s really great to get all of those perspectives and be able to interact with leaders across multiple fields.”

To continue interacting with many partners to make the best possible scientific advances, Hoffman encourages a broad range of people to work with DARPA and support their mission. He says people can come in as contractors, subject matter experts, apply for small business funding through various mechanisms, apply for young faculty awards, or apply for research grants and more.

Overall, Hofmann has no regrets about his transition from in-the-lab scientific work to program management. “It's absolutely important and it's fascinating and rewarding to understand and just be motivated by the specific science, but it's always been helpful for me having the larger picture of where this would go in the long-term plan.”

Story by Dina Genkina

Jonathan D. Moreno Named Third Milchberg Lecturer

Jonathan D. Moreno,  the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, gave the third Irving and Renee Milchberg Endowed Lecture on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Moreno's talk addressed Bioethics and the Rules-Based International Order.   Jonathan Moreno. Credit: University of PennsylvaniaJonathan Moreno. Credit: University of Pennsylvania

Moreno, an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, studies medical ethics and health policy, the history and sociology of science, and philosophy. He received  his Ph.D. in philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis and was an Andrew W. Mellon post-doctoral fellow. His book The Body Politic: The Battle Over Science in America was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and a Scientific American Book Club selection. More recently, he wrote Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die: Bioethics and the Transformation of Healthcare in America with former Penn President Amy Gutmann.

Moreno received the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. 

The Irving and Renee Milchberg Endowed Lectureship was established by Prof. Howard Milchberg and his wife Rena, to remember Howard's parents, who survived the Holocaust and the distortions of truth that accompanied and facilitated it.  Milchberg’s mother and father, who died in 2017 and 2014, respectively, never received formal education, but Milchberg describes them as “remarkably open-minded and tolerant” and as “wide-ranging thinkers and skeptics.” 

 

 

 

Faculty, Staff, Student and Alumni Awards & Notes

We proudly recognize members of our community who recently garnered major honors, began new positions and more.

Faculty and Staff 
  • Alessandra Buonanno recevied the 2022 Tomalla Prize for her research in gravitational wave physics.
  • Josiland Chambers received the department's Staff Excellence Award.
  • The American Physical Society (APS) has honored Professor Emeritus Alex Dragt with the 2023 Robert R. Wilson Prize for Achievement in the Physics of Particle Accelerators
  • Clay Daetwyler received the Lorraine DeSalvo Chair's Award for Outstanding Service.
  • Sankar Das Sarma has again been included on Clarivate Analytics list of Highly Cited Researchers, a compilation of influential names in science.
  • Manuel Franco Sevilla received the CMNS Board of Visitors’ Junior Faculty Award.
  • Jim Gates was quoted in a The New York Times story about the Webb telescope and again about Ukraininan scientists.
  • Alexey Gorshkov was elected a Fellow of Optica. He also spoke with the Caltech Heritage Project about quantum science advances.
  • Xiangdong Ji was quoted in Physics World.
  • Müge Karagöz was elected Vice President of Chesapeake Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers (CSAAPT) for a 1-year term. 
  • Dan Lathrop was quoted in Physics Today.
  • Wolfgang Losert was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Rob McIntire received the department's Sibylle Sampson Award.
  • Ed Ott retired on December 31
  • Lester Putnam joined the department as a machinist.
  • Bruce Rowley retired from the machine shop.
  • Naomi Russo received the department's Staff Excellence Award.
  • Roald Sagdeev gave the John S. Toll Lecture.
  • Bonnie Seal-Filiatreau received the department's Staff Excellence Award.
  • Stephanie Williams joined the department as an academic advisor.
  • Victor Yakovenko and the LecDemo operation were credited by Sam Teitelbaum (BS., '10) for inspiring a love of physics.
  •  At a recent luncheon, Physics staff members were recognized for their years of service to the state of Maryland
    • Allen Monroe, 40 years
    • Doug Bensen, 35 years
    • Sally Megonigal, 35 years
    • Jack Touart, 30 years
    • Bonnie Seal-Filiatreau, 25 years
    • Cheryl Ekstrom, 20 years
    • Melissa Britton, 15 years
    • Mark Conners, 15 years
    • LaVita Williams, 15 years
    • Roy Arunkumar, 10 years
    • Omar Torres, 5 years
 Students
 Alumni
  • Siegfried Bleher (Ph.D., '89) accepted a position at Middlebury College.
  • Marten L. denBoer (Ph.D., '79) was named Radford University’s interim provost for academic year 2022-23.
  • Emily Edwards (Ph.D, '09) was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society
  • Alexei Fedotov (Ph.D. ’97) was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society.
  • Alan Henry (B.S., '02) discussed his book "Seen, Heard and Paid" with Ebony magazine.  
  • Tian Li (Ph.D., '17), of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, is developing a new microscopy technique.  
  • Slava Merkin (Ph.D. ’04) of the APL Center for Geospace Storms is the PI of a new NASA $15M, five-year research project understand and predict space weather.  
  • Ana Maria Rey (Ph.D. ’04) was featured by Optica in The (Atomic) Clockmaker. 
Department News
In Memoriam

December Physics Discovery Days!

On Saturday, December 10th, local elementary and middle school students participated in Physics Superspies, a Physics Discovery Day outreach event on WavAudience participation! Angel Torres and audience volunteer demonstrating the power of an electromagnet.Audience participation! Angel Torres and audience volunteer demonstrating the power of an electromagnet.es and Satellites.  Outreach Coordinator Angel Torres kicked off the program with a series of captivating demonstrations that had students energized! The demonstration show was designed to prepare students for a fun series of hands-on activities that further demonstrated the properties of the electromagnetic spectrum and how scientists use different wavelengths to study the universe.  Thanks to the expertise of physics majors Jade LeShack, Lincoln Doney, Wenxi Wu, David Bour and Bergen Dahl, the attendees learned new concepts as they completed their Discovery Day physics passport at each activity station. Undergraduate volunteers were able to utilize their knowledge beyond the classroom to answer questions from inquisitive participants.

Attending parents enjoyed the program and were appreciative of the activities. One parent stated, “My son is a huge physics and math fan. He had a great day learniA miniature model of a galaxy in "infrared" light.A miniature model of a galaxy in "infrared" light.ng through fun interactive demonstrations. Thanks for having such a cool event!” Activity stations included simulating the launch of a satellite into orbit using stomp rockets, creating waves across the visible spectrum with Slinkys, and understanding the effects of magnetic fields on satellites through iron filings and magnets.

This Discovery Days program was developed by Outreach Coordinator Angel Torres and Director of Education Donna Hammer.  New to the program, a collection of “miniature galaxies” in bottles using colored Jell-O and tiny pieces of candy was developed by Torres. By using specific colored filters, attendees were able to reveal the galaxy inside Time to Launch! Undergraduate Bergen Dahl, Donna Hammer, and attendees posing with their rockets.Time to Launch! Undergraduate Bergen Dahl, Donna Hammer, and attendees posing with their rockets.of an opaque bottle (universe). These galaxies allowed students to personally engage with using different wavelengths, through light filters, to see all the features of a galaxy.  In order to demonstrate the curvature of spacetime, Hammer designed a model of personal spacetime hoops. Each participant was able to simulate satellites orbiting a celestial body using metal spheres and marbles. Students increased the number of “satellites” until they created a solar system.

The Physics Outreach Team is excited to host more events this Spring. Discovery Days are geared toward upper-elementary school students and are complemented by Physics is Phun for high school audiences. To stay informed on future Discovery Days and upcoming outreach events, visit our outreach page and join our mailing list.

UMD Establishes Endowed Professorship in Quantum Computing

The University of Maryland’s College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS) will establish the IonQ Professorship with a $1 million gift from IonQ (NYSE: IONQ), an industry leader in quantum computing. IonQ’s gift is being matched by $1 million through the Maryland E-Nnovation Initiative (MEI), a state program created to spur basic and applied research in scientific and technical fields at the state’s colleges and universities.

The IonQ Professorship will be held by a faculty member in either the Department of Physics or the Department of Computer Science who conducts quantum computing research.

“IonQ is a revolutionary startup born out of physics research at the University of Maryland and the first publicly traded pure-play hardware and software company in the quantum computing space,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. “We are grateful to IonQ and the state of Maryland for their continued investment in research, programming and the overall quantum ecosystem at the University of Maryland. This is another step forward in building the Capital of Quantum.”

IonQ also supports UMD’s Quantum Startup Foundry, Quantum Technology Center, Corporate Partners in Computing, and Bitcamp and Technica student-run hackathons. In addition, UMD and IonQ established the National Quantum Lab at Maryland (Q-Lab) to accelerate practical quantum computing applications by providing privileged access to a commercial-grade quantum computer and IonQ experts to UMD-affiliated students, researchers and partners across the country.

“IonQ is delighted to continue their close ties with the University of Maryland and stimulate their already leading stature in quantum science and technology,” said Christopher Monroe, IonQ co-founder and chief scientist, and College Park Professor of Physics at UMD.

IonQ was founded in 2015 by Monroe and Duke University’s Jungsang Kim based on 25 years of pioneering research. The company, which is located in the UMD Discovery District with over 100 employees, received the 2021 Innovation Award from the Association of University Research Parks and was named to the TIME100 Most Influential Companies list in 2022.

“The new endowed IonQ Professorship will allow us to attract top talent from premier universities, government labs or companies who are doing the most interesting and translational work in quantum science, computing and information,” said CMNS Dean Amitabh Varshney.

UMD is already an established powerhouse of quantum discovery and innovation, with over 200 researchers on campus, partnerships with government laboratories, strong connections with industry and an international research network. These UMD scientists and engineers are working to develop quantum computers capable of currently impossible calculations, ultra-secure quantum networking and exotic new quantum materials.

Today, UMD boasts 12 quantum research centers:

UMD also organizes and facilitates the Mid-Atlantic Quantum Alliance (MQA), a rapidly growing hub of quantum technology research, development, innovation and education with 32 university, government, industry and nonprofit partners. Together, MQA members are building a vibrant and diverse ecosystem designed to foster U.S. and regional leadership in the coming quantum technology revolution.

“Maryland is consistently one of the top-ranked states for innovation, and our colleges and universities are critical drivers of cutting-edge research and bold new ideas,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill. “We’re thrilled to support the groundbreaking and forward-thinking work being led by our higher education institutions.”