CAREER: Synthetic quantum materials in superconducting circuits

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This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2).NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION:Understanding strong interactions and collective quantum effects between sub-atomic particles that take place in certain materials is a grand challenge in modern physics. Better understanding of these strongly correlated interactions is critical as these novel materials have promising properties for advanced technological applications. However, the presence of dissipation and other environmental factors make it very challenging to probe these interactions. This project addresses these challenges by creating synthetic “designer” materials made of interacting microwave photons in superconducting circuits, leveraging the precise yet flexible control of quantum systems and baths available in the experiments. The research aims to develop efficient protocols for creating and controlling synthetic quantum materials and their properties, and to investigate the microscopic dynamics of quantum materials in open driven-dissipative settings. The findings will provide insights on material discovery and design for applications in quantum information science and engineering. The project also launches education and outreach activities aimed at strengthening quantum awareness and quantum proficiency in a wide audience. This includes professional training in quantum research for a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students, development of new accessible materials for quantum information science education, and broad quantum-related outreach activities for K-12 students and teachers.TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION:Superconducting quantum circuits provide the long coherence, strong interactions, and precise tunability well-suited for the exploration of synthetic quantum materials made of microwave photons. This project supports the development of a synthetic quantum matter platform in superconducting circuits for the investigation of strongly correlated quantum phases and many-body dynamics in driven-dissipative settings. Dynamically tunable broad-band bath is developed and applied to realize efficient and robust methods to stabilize and manipulate many-body phases in circuits, including strongly interacting phases in Bose-Hubbard lattices, topological lattices, and other novel non-equilibrium quantum phases. This project further explores the evolution of quantum information in many-body localized systems, by investigating particle and entanglement dynamics in the presence of thermal or quantum baths and local dissipation. These experiments offer a microscopic view of the dynamics of thermalization towards quantum many-body phases, a cornerstone of our understanding of correlated materials. They also provide insights into the interplay between interaction, topology and dissipation. The driven-dissipative techniques developed in this project for creating and controlling quantum many-body states could be applied to various quantum platforms to engineer and identify robust quantum information resources. The research infrastructure and training materials that result from this award will provide long-term training and educational opportunities for students at all levels and contribute to a diverse workforce in quantum information science and engineering.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.