Meet the Research Groups
Get to know the member groups of the Quantum Center.
The Quantum Technologies Group uses and advances knowledge of quantum mechanics, optics and statistical physics to solve major problems in the fields of biomedicine and information technology. The scientific agenda derives from the synthesis of knowledge about ‘old’ materials such as silicon and germanium with new concepts from modern quantum technologies and many-body physics. We take advantage of small laboratory-based optical, microwave and electrical techniques for measurement and control, as well as the large electron accelerator-based photon sources of the Paul Scherrer Institute for materials, device and system metrology, as well as for the development of future device fabrication paradigms.
Quantum Technologies Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum computing
Research Approaches: Experimental, theoretical, engineering, computational
For further information please visit the Quantum Condensed and Coherent Systems Group website.
Our group’s work lies at the intersection of condensed matter theory, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. We are dedicated to the theory and development of large-scale numerical simulations, with a particular emphasis on quantum Monte Carlo, machine learning, and tensor networks. Our primary aim is to tackle challenging theoretical and technological problems in quantum many-body physics and quantum computing. The group explores fundamental questions about how to best simulate strongly correlated quantum systems using both classical and quantum computational resources.
Institute for Theoretical Physics website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation
Research Approaches: Theoretical, computational
Our group focuses on using acoustic resonators as building blocks for hybrid quantum technologies. Their high density of long-lived bosonic modes has applications in quantum information processing and storage. Moreover, since mechanical modes can couple to different degrees of freedom, such as light or spins, they are ideal for transduction and sensing.
Hybrid Quantum Systems Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum sensing, quantum computing, quantum communication
Research Approaches: Experimental
Our research focuses on Universal Quantum Kinetic Theory, exploring the dynamics of long-range interactions in quantum systems. We investigate phenomena such as pre-thermalization, thermalization, and quantum chaos, developing a comprehensive framework that connects single-particle spectra to many-body dynamics. Through the introduction of Quantum Long-Range Networks (QLR-Nets), we address computational challenges while preserving critical spectral properties, enabling studies of entanglement propagation, phase transitions, and non-equilibrium dynamics. Additionally, we explore connections between quantum systems and holographic principles, examining spectral scaling and chaotic behavior in strongly correlated systems. This research aims to advance the theoretical understanding of quantum systems, laying the foundation for practical applications in quantum technologies.
Institute for Theoretical Physics website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation, quantum computing
Research Approaches: Theoretical, computational
The Spin Physics Group has active research activities in quantum sensing and nanomechanics. We pioneer novel magnetic imaging techniques that can sensitively detect magnetic effects with nanometer spatial resolution. We use these tools to gain new capabilities and enable discoveries in quantum science, condensed matter physics, spintronics, and magnetic resonance.
Research Areas: Quantum sensing
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering
For further information please visit the Institute for Theoretical Physics website.
Research Areas: Quantum simulation, quantum sensing, quantum computing
Research Approaches: Theoretical, computational
Our group fabricates and investigates quantum devices mostly in 2D materials, such as graphene. We focus on charge, spin and valley qubits and measure lifetimes and as well as the entropy change of certain transitions. For twisted graphene samples quantum devices such as Josephson junctions and SQUIDs are investigated in order to better understand superconductivity in 2D systems.
Ensslin Nanophysics Group website
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Experimental
The Quantum Optics Group uses ultra cold atoms to synthetically create key models in quantum many-body physics and to explore novel concepts for Quantum Computing. Our tools are quantum gases, optical lattices and optical cavities. We pioneered quantum simulation of the Fermi-Hubbard model, the topological Haldane model, the Dicke quantum phase transition and quantized transport of neutral matter. We are currently researching topological pumping for shuttling of quantum information and developing novel quantum gates.
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering
For further information please visit the Quantum Optoelectronics Group website.
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum sensing
Research Approaches: Experimental
Our group focuses on the study of magnetic systems ranging from single spins to spintronic devices. Recent work includes the study of quantum spin torques, spin and orbital transport in condensed matter systems, spin-orbit coupling and spin relaxation, and the fabrication of thin film heterostructures, coupled nanomagnets and single atom magnets with tailored response to external stimuli. The group further develops experimental techniques that probe magnetic phenomena with high temporal and spatial resolution, including electron spin resonance and scanning probe microscopy, magneto-optics, time-resolved magnetotransport measurements and synchrotron radiation spectroscopy.
Magnetism and Interface Physics Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum sensing
Research Approaches: Experimental
In the Optical Nanomaterials group, we research novel nonlinear materials for their use in photonic quantum technologies. On the one hand we are developing a highly scalable new nanofabrication process for Barium Titanate (BTO) thin films and integrated circuits. On the other hand, we use the Lithium Niobate on Insulator (LNOI) platform for creating quantum photonic integrated circuits, by leveraging the nonlinear frequency conversion capabilities of this material. Carefully engineering these nonlinear properties allows us to create pairs of entangled photons by using parametric down-conversion processes. These photon pairs can be used as a resource for quantum communication, quantum sensing, or quantum information processing devices.
Optical Nanomaterial Group website
Research Areas: Quantum communication
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering
The Scalable Parallel Computing Laboratory (SPCL) performs research in all areas of scalable computing. This includes scalable high-performance networks and protocols, middleware, operating system and runtime systems, parallel programming languages, support, and constructs, storage, and scalable data access.
The Scalable Parallel Computing Laboratory (SPCL) website
Research Areas: Quantum computing
Research Approaches: Engineering, computational
Cryptography is a crucial tool for securing information systems. Cryptographic building blocks ensure the secrecy and integrity of information, and help to protect the privacy of users. Still, most actually deployed cryptographic schemes are not known to have any rigorously proven security guarantees. This has led to a number of far-reaching security issues in widely deployed software systems. Our goal is to provide practical cryptographic building blocks that come with rigorously proven security guarantees. These building blocks should be efficient enough for the use in large-scale modern information systems, and their security should be defined and formally analyzed in a mathematically rigorous manner.
Foundations of Cryptography Group website
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Theoretical
The Trapped Ion Quantum Information (TIQI) group works with trapped atomic ions, which offer well isolated quantum systems which can be precisely controlled for quantum computing and metrology. We investigate quantum error correction and quantum control, as well as exploring novel methods for scaling these systems up to large numbers of qubits.
Trapped Ion Quantum Information Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation, quantum sensing, quantum computing
Research Approaches: Experimental, theoretical, engineering
Our group tries to make sense of complex statistical physics problems and strongly interacting quantum systems. Specifically, we design new approaches to determine emergent degrees of freedom and symmetries in the framework of statistical physics. We do so by employing analytical and numerical tools borrowed from information theory. Quantum systems, on the other hand, we try to harness by coming up with new ways of writing down variational wavefunctions: going beyond the traditional Slater- and Jastrow-wavefunctions we endow machine learning based approaches with physical insight. Finally, we enjoy exploring topology in physics, both in its effect on modern trends such as superconductivity in twisted two-dimensional materials as well as in classical meta-materials where we introduce new engineering paradigms for mechanical metamaterials.
Condensed Matter Theory and Metamaterials Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation
Research Approaches: Experimental, theoretical
As an integral part of the Ensslin Nanophysics Group we fabricate and perform low-temperature transport experiments on semiconductor devices and nanostructures whose properties are governed by quantum phenomena. In particular, we investigate quantum dot devices in bilayer graphene, silicon and germanium in view of their usability as qubits. To this end, we use dc transport measurements in magnetic fields, time-averaged and time-resolved charge detection techniques, gate pulsing techniques, as well as elements of circuit quantum electrodynamics.
Ensslin Nanophysics Group website
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Experimental
Our group investigates strong electron correlations and light-matter interaction in synthetic quantum matter. We design and fabricate the requisite materials by stacking atomically-thin semiconductors and insulators in electrically tunable structures. We are currently developing novel quantum sensors based on quantum emitters to measure electronic correlations with nanometer-scale spatial resolution.
Quantum Photonics Group website
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Experimental, theoretical
Research in our lab focuses on challenges related to the chemistry, physics and applications of inorganic nanostructures. Central to our efforts is the synthesis of inorganic nanocrystals (NCs) and the integration and/or self-assembly of NCs into multifunctional solid state structures. Through appropriate design and characterisation of NC surface chemistry and the inter-NC medium, we transform the individual properties of NCs into novel collective properties of NC-based solids.
Kovalenko Lab - Functional Inorganic Materials
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering, computational
At the Institute of Electromagnetic Fields (IEF) we perfom research on the wave and particle characteristics of electromagnetic fields at all frequencies. The primary focus are fields in the optical, the terahertz and microwave regime for applications in integrated photonics, high-speed communication, and neuromorphic computing. Further, we research the operation of integrated photonic devices at cryogenic temperatures for novel quantum applications.
The Institute of Electromagnetic Fields (IEF) website
Research Areas: Quantum sensing, quantum communication
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering
The Computational Nanoelectronics Group (CNG) develops advanced, physics-based simulation methods to investigate nano-scale devices, e.g., novel channel materials to build next-generation transistors, metal-insulator-metal stacks to realise solid-state synapses, or two-dimensional materials for optoelectronic applications. The simulation methods used rely on quantum mechanical concepts and therefore require high-performance computing (HPC) solutions to rapidly produce results. The CNG also pursues an experimental activity on neuromorphic computing whose goal is to fabricate analogue devices capable of emulating the functionality of the human brain.
Computational Nanoelectronics Group website
Research Areas: Quantum simulation
Research Approaches: Computational
In the High Performance Computational Physics (HPCP) group, we study gauge theories, which lie at the heart of the Standard Model of particle physics, and describe the physics of elementary particles. Quantum simulators open the door to studying the dynamics of gauge theories, which is largely impossible using classical computers. Recently, quenches in simple gauge theories have revealed rich physics, such as quantum many-body scars, where for a small subset of initial states the system fails to thermalize after a long time. This is an example of the near-term applications of quantum simulators in particle physics even before the full complexity of theories like quantum chromodynamics can be met.
Computational Physics groups website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation, quantum computing
Research Approaches: Theoretical, computational
Two central goals of our research are to propose an abstract constructive theory of practically relevant cryptographic statements and for composing them, allowing for clean and eventually formal security proofs, and to devise cryptographic schemes provably secure against adversaries with unbounded computing power.
Information Security and Cryptography Group website
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Theoretical
For further information please visit the Molecular Physics and Spectroscopy Group website.
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Experimental, theoretical
In the Nanoscale Quantum Optics group, we study the interaction between light and materials, with the goal of engineering novel quantum states of light. We explore emergent behavior of photons and other quasiparticles in 2D semiconductors and other quantum materials. A major question for us is, can photons be made to interact with each other strongly enough that they self-organize in to collective phases? For example, can we have an insulator made of photons that is driven solely by interactions?
Nanoscale Quantum Optics Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation
Research Approaches: Experimental
The Optical Materials Engineering Laboratory (OMEL) develops highly fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals (quantum dots) for their use as quantum emitters. Recently, OMEL researchers have been exploring a special type of quantum dot—“magic sizes.” While poorly understood, these nanocrystals appear during some preparation procedures of quantum dots. OMEL researchers have shown that these magic-sizes are particularly stable because they represent complete tetrahedra. This implies that an entire sample can contain identical tetrahedral nanocrystals. Thus, they can potentially provide quantum emitters that behave more uniformly, which is essential for many optical quantum processes.
Optical Materials Engineering Laboratory website
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering
We study light-matter interactions on the nanometer scale. Our two main thrusts are 1) 2D-Optoelectronics and 2) Levitodynamics. In 2D-Optoelectronics we use two-dimensional materials (e.g. graphene, hBN, TMDs) as building blocks for optoelectronic devices (e.g. lasers, detectors, modulators) with nanoscale dimensions. In Levitodynamics we use levitated nanoparticles in UHV to study quantum mechanics on macroscopic length scales and to develop quantum sensors for ultra small forces and impulses.
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum sensing
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering
We work on the theoretical and philosophical foundations of quantum mechanics (QM) and quantum field theory (QFT), where QM is regarded as an approximate limiting case of QFT at low energies. We have proposed a bra-ket interpretation of QM that is based on a representation of density matrices in terms of two unique stochastic jump processes. Our dissipative approach to QFT provides a rigorous mathematical structure and a clear particle ontology, where regularization at short length scales is provided by dissipative smearing. Our formulations of QM and QFT lay the ground for new stochastic simulation techniques.
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation
Research Approaches: Theoretical, computational
Our group researches and educates on the applications of cryptography, which underpins secure systems. Our research area ranges from enabling communication services that ensure confidentiality and integrity, to advanced methods such as searching over encrypted data, drawing broadly from theoretical computer science, mathematics, and engineering. Our research in Applied Cryptography brings all of these strands together to produce impactful research that improves the security of today’s and tomorrow’s cryptographic systems.
Applied Cryptography Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum computing, quantum communication
Research Approaches: Theoretical, engineering, computational
At the Quantum Devices group we explore the electric and thermoelectric properties of low-dimensional quantum devices. We investigate the fundamental interactions between electrons, phonons and photons in quantum materials integrated into solid-state devices. In particular, we are interested in energy conversion, where quantum effects can push the conversion efficiency to the thermodynamic limit.
external page Quantum Devices Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum computing
Research Approaches:
The Nanophotonic Systems Laboratory combines cutting-edge nano-optics with fundamental physics and engineering to tackle a diverse range of scientific and technological challenges. Our research spans from optomechanics and biotechnology to reconfigurable planar optics. In particular, we specialize in controlling levitated nano- and micro-objects in vacuum. Our current focus lies in developing hybrid integrated levitation platforms. By precisely manipulating both optical and RF fields, we aim to study regimes of extreme light-matter interaction and advance sensing capabilities.
Nanophotonic Systems Laboratory website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum sensing
Research Approaches: Experimental
Research in our group is devoted to general theoretical chemistry. The main focus is on the development of theory and algorithms for the calculation of electronic structures based on the first principles of quantum mechanics. The aim of our efforts is to derive quantitative means as well as concepts for understanding chemical processes.
The Reiher Research Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum computing
Research Approaches: Theoretical, computational
Our group explores fundamental questions at the intersection of physics and information theory. Examples include investigating whether quantum theory is complete or could be extended for improved predictions, and whether data lost in a black hole can be recovered from Hawking radiation. We use Quantum Information Theory (QIT) as a versatile framework to phrase such questions more precisely and study them.
Quantum Information Theory Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum computing, quantum communication
Research Approaches: Theoretical
The Secure, Reliable, and Intelligent Systems (SRI) Lab focuses on the areas of reliable, secure, robust and fair machine learning, probabilistic and quantum programming, and machine learning for code. In the area of quantum computing, we develop new techniques to develop, analyze, and reason about quantum programs.
The Secure, Reliable, and Intelligent Systems (SRI) Lab website
Research Areas: Quantum computing
Research Approaches: Theoretical, computational
At the Quantum Device Lab, our team of scientists, students, and staff explores the quantum physics of superconducting electronic circuits and their interaction with quantized radiation fields. Working at the forefront of circuit quantum electrodynamics, we leverage superconducting devices for quantum computing, communication, simulation, and sensing. Our current research focuses on fault-tolerant quantum computation, advancing quantum error correction. We also investigate hybrid quantum systems, such as superconducting circuits coupled with semiconductor quantum dots, and develop cutting-edge instrumentation and cryogenic systems for quantum science and technology.
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation, quantum sensing, quantum computing, quantum communication
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering
For further information please visit the Integrated Devices, Electronics, And Systems website.
Research Areas: Quantum sensing, quantum communication
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering
For further information please visit the Advanced Semiconductor Quantum Materials Group website.
Research Areas:
Research Approaches: Experimental
For further information please visit the Materials and Device Engineering Group website.
Research Areas: Basic science
Research Approaches: Experimental, engineering, computational
Our research group explores open questions in quantum science and advances the frontier of quantum technologies through experiments with neutral atoms. By leveraging quantum optics and the unique properties of Rydberg states, we engineer large-scale, fully controlled quantum many-body systems. We are developing novel quantum processing architectures featuring error correction and optical links, while also investigating fundamental questions in quantum thermalization and dynamics.
Experimental Quantum Engineering Group website
Research Areas: Basic science, quantum simulation, quantum computing
Research Approaches: Experimental, theoretical, engineering