Quantum computing and simulation promise to revolutionize fundamental physics, technology, and quantum chemistry. Simulating quantum systems using analog platforms was first proposed in the 1980s, but recent technological advances have brought this idea to new heights. Trapped atoms and ions, superconducting circuits, and advanced solid-state platforms have achieved an unprecedented level of quantum control and are able to model increasingly complex Hamiltonians. Quantum simulation in 2D solid platforms has proved to be incredibly versatile, while also being compatible with the existing semiconductor technology. In this colloquium, I will showcase the exciting recent developments in the field of 2D quantum simulators, highlighting twisted moiré systems and atomic manipulation. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has proved crucial for the progress of this field. My focus will be on revealing the topological and strongly correlated physics in twisted layered graphene and on the surprising insights gained through the use of STM. Through high-resolution magnetic field scanning tunneling spectroscopy, we have demonstrated the importance of the fine details of quantum geometry in these novel 2D platforms. Specifically, I will report on the discovery of an emergent anomalously large orbital magnetic susceptibility in twisted double bilayer graphene, along with the orbital magnetic moment. I will also discuss the exciting future potential in the field of quantum materials, combining STM, epitaxial growth, and stacked 2D devices.

Higgs bosons produced at high momentum are rare, but measurable. The tails of their kinetic spectrum can provide a unique insight on whether anomalous interactions exist at the TeV scale. The production of Higgs boson pairs is even rarer - about 1000 times less frequent- but it can be enhanced in some new physics models, particularly when the pairs are produced at high momentum. This talk reviews how final states with jets have enabled the exploration of these elusive and possibly anomalous couplings, even in a difficult collider environment that is full of quarks and gluons like the Large Hadron Collider. We examine advances on particle jet identification that have drastically improved our ability to identify boosted Higgs and increased our physics reach. Finally, I will talk about how calorimetry detectors need more spatial precision, greater radiation tolerance, and smarter readout electronics to ensure that this and other search programs can continue at the upcoming High-Luminosity LHC run.

In recent years anomalous cooling and heating effects in the far from equilibrium limit have gained attention. One anomaly is the so called Mpemba Effect, in which the time to relax towards thermal equilibrium does not grow monotonically as a function of distance to the target. Instead, it has been proposed that there exist shortcuts in the relaxation process that allow both faster, and even exponentially faster heating and cooling. In this talk I will discuss recent works [1,2] that have progressed our understanding of such shortcuts by studying the Mpemba effect using Overdamped Langevin dynamics. I will show when and where you can get the effect, and that our models are in good agreement with experimental findings. Lastly, I will touch upon current works where we study the effect using Markovian jump processes on linear reaction networks.  

1. Anomalous thermal relaxation of Langevin particles in a piecewise-constant potential

Matthew R Walker and Marija Vucelja J. Stat. Mech. (2021) 113105

2. Mpemba effect in terms of mean first passage times for overdamped Langevin dynamics

Matthew R Walker and Marija Vucelja arXiv preprint arXiv:2212.07496 (2022)

Entanglement is the strangest feature of quantum theory, often dubbed ''spooky action at a distance’’. Quantum entanglement can occur on a macroscopic scale with trillions of electrons, leading to "strange metals" and novel superconductors which can conduct electricity without resistance even at relatively high temperatures. Remarkably, related entanglement structures arise across the horizon of a black hole, and give rise to Hawking’s quantum paradox. This lecture will be designed to introduce these forefront topics in current physics research to a general audience.

Quantum information is a rapidly growing field that continues to develop and explore a variety of platforms to realize scalable quantum devices. Progress in qubit technology is driven by continued advancement in materials research, which informs fundamental issues such as the underlying mechanisms limiting qubit coherence times. Further, quantum materials including superconductors, magnets, insulators, and topological materials all offer unique properties that can be implemented into quantum circuits to realize new functionalities. In this way, the fundamental physics of quantum materials is intertwined with the development of next-generation quantum devices.
In this talk, I will discuss several topics at the intersection of quantum information and quantum materials research, which demonstrate this symbiotic relationship between the two fields. This includes how one can use Josephson junctions - a critical element of the Transmon qubit - formed into arrays to serve as both a quantum simulator of interacting many-body systems such as the Hubbard model as well as a novel platform to study quantum phase transitions such as the superconductor-to-insulator transition. Additionally, I will discuss how microwave circuits can be used as a sensitive probe of the order parameter symmetry in low-dimensional unconventional superconductors and mesoscopic heterostructures, as well as for a variety of other quantum sensing applications. Finally, I will discuss future opportunities to leverage the interplay between quantum materials and quantum information to both gain insight into enigmatic phases of matter and design novel qubits and quantum devices. 

The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration has observed over 70 gravitational-wave sources to date, including mergers between black holes, neutron stars, and mixed neutron star—black holes. Focusing on the black hole mergers, I will describe some recent lessons into how, when, and where black holes are made. These questions are connected to several astrophysical puzzles, including the deaths of massive stars, the growth of black holes across cosmic time, high-redshift star formation, and properties of globular clusters.

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The nature of the dark matter in the Universe is among the longest and most important outstanding problems in all of modern physics. The ordinary atoms that make up the known universe, from our bodies and the air we breathe to the planets and stars, constitute only 5% of all matter and energy in the cosmos. The remaining 95% is made up of a recipe of 25% dark matter and 70% dark energy, both nonluminous components whose nature remains a mystery.  I’ll begin by discussing the evidence that dark matter is the bulk of the mass in the Universe, and then turn to the hunt to understand its nature.  Leading candidates are fundamental particles including Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), axions, sterile neutrinos, as well as primordial black holes.  I will discuss multiple experimental searches:  at CERN in Geneva; in underground laboratories; with space telescopes; with gravitational wave detectors; and even with DNA.  I’ll tell you about our novel idea of Dark Stars, early stars powered by dark matter heating, and the possibility that the James Webb Space Telescope could find them.  At the end of the talk, I'll turn to dark energy and its effect on the future of the Universe.

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