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Norbert M. Linke Joins UMD Physics

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Published: Wednesday, February 06 2019 15:04

Norbert M. Linke has joined the Department of Physics as an assistant professor. He has been a member of the department since 2015, first as a post-doc and then as a research scientist at the Joint Quantum Institute. Working in the group of Chris Monroe, he led a project that turned a physics experiment into a programmable quantum computer. This work helped establish trapped atomic ions as a leading contender in the quantum computing realm, and produced the first cross-platform comparison of two quantum computers in 2017. 

Linke was born in Munich, Germany,  and graduated from the University of Ulm, Germany. He received his doctorate at the University of Oxford, UK, working on micro-fabricated ion-traps, high-fidelity quantum gates, and microwave-addressing of ions under David Lucas. 

His new group at UMD continues to work on quantum applications with trapped ions, implementing more sophisticated algorithms, but also expanding to simulations of new and unusual quantum dynamics involving the ions' motional degrees of freedom. Additionally, his lab has launched a new project to realize long-distance quantum communication using trapped ions and near-telecom photons. 

 
Norbert Linke and his initial research team at the Joint Quantum Institute (UMD, Jan 2019). A strong representation of women is unfortunately still unusual in the STEM realm, and the group is committed to continuously improving at providing an inclusive environment.

Weber Garden Dedication Held March 12

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Published: Monday, January 28 2019 06:28
WeberMemorialNews12919 2The Department of Physics and College of Mathematical and Natural Sciences held a dedication of the Weber Garden on Tuesday, March 12, 2019, which included remarks by colleagues and friends of Joe Weber and a colloquium by Nobel Laureate Rai Weiss: What Joe Weber started: Gravitational wave astronomy. 
 
The garden, next to the main entrance of the Physical Sciences Complex, highlights the ultrapure aluminum gravity bars of UMD physicist Joseph Weber, a pioneer in the search for gravitational waves. Prof. Emeritus Charles W. Misner and his wife Susanne established the Weber Endowment for Gravitational Physics. 
 
The 2016 announcement that the LIGO experiment had detected gravitational waves led to the Nobel Prize for Weiss, Kip Thorne and Barry Barish.  UMD's key contributions in theoretical and experimental gravitational physics were discussed at a Nov. 1, 2016 symposium, A Celebration of Gravitational Waves.
The plaque on display at the Weber Memorial outside of the Physical Sciences Complex

 

Christopher Monroe Quoted in Gizmodo Article on IBM's New Quantum Computer

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Published: Thursday, January 10 2019 09:33
Distinguished University Professor & Bice Seci-Zorn Professor Christopher Monroe was quoted in the Gizmodo article, "Why Experts Are Skeptical of IBM's New Commercial Quantum Computer," which explores "Q System One, or as the IBM team described it, “the world’s first fully integrated universal quantum computing system designed for scientific and commercial use.”"

Third Annual Fundamentals of Quantum Materials Winter School

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Published: Thursday, January 10 2019 09:26

FQMWinterSchool2019 smallThe University of Maryland Department of Physics will host the third annual Fundamentals of Quantum Materials Winter School and Workshop January 14th to the 18th at the University of Maryland. 

The Fundamentals of Quantum Materials Winter School and Workshop is an annual event unique to North America, dedicated specifically to the synthesis, characterization and electronic modeling of quantum materials. The FQM Winter School is aimed at providing fundamental training to our current and future generations of Quantum Materials scientists in synthesis and characterization techniques, bringing together senior and junior scientists to address topics at the forefront of current research into quantum materials, while also providing pedagogical background and practical training for junior scientists. With an interdisciplinary and diverse crowd including physicists, chemists, and materials scientists, participants gain a basic functional knowledge of how to plan and carry out synthesis relevant to the study of quantum materials, and experience a unique opportunity to interact with some of the top researchers in the field while networking with fellow peers. The structure of the school includes mornings of pedagogical lectures by ten of the nation's top practicing quantum materials scientists, with afternoons devoted to practical demonstrations in laboratories in the University of Maryland's Center for Nanophysics and Advanced Materials. The school also includes a poster session attended by senior scientists. The FQM Workshop, following the school event, covers current top research on quantum materials, focusing on synthesis, characterization and computational approaches to research of quantum materials such as superconductors, strongly correlated electron systems and topological materials.

For more information, visit the Fundamentals of Quantum Materials Winter School and Workshop homepage.

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