Project assistant in quantum technology during summer 2023 - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace
The division of mathematical physics spans both the faculties of natural science and engineering science (LTH), and it is a part of the department of physics. Research is conducted primarily in the fields of quantum many-body systems, which includes theoretical research in nuclear physics, nanometer physics, quantum information, atomic physics, and modeling of materials, with several collaborations internationally and within Lund University.

Work duties
The work duties will be to perform research within the field of quantum technology, with the focus of the work determined by the specific project topic.

There are three possible projects available, described briefly below.

1. Entanglement in model skyrmion textures. Contact person: Claudio Verdozzi. Skyrmions are spin-vortex-like patterns, that recently have been considered in the context of quantum logic gates. This project is concerned with the investigation of a form of spin-entanglement in model skyrmion systems, using concurrence as measure.  In actual systems, spin textures due to localized moments interact with itinerant electron degrees of freedom. It is thus of interest to ask/understand if skyrmions are quantum mechanically entangled with the background and/or themselves, and if there are signatures of entanglement in the itinerant electron background. Because of the complexity of the problem, spins will be treated classically, and the itinerant electrons fully quantum-mechanically.

2. Quantum computing for the Hubbard model. Contact person: Erik van Loon. The Fermi-Hubbard model is a paradigmatic example of the computational difficulty of quantum systems. The classical computational cost grows exponentially with the size of the considered lattice. For a quantum computer, the number of required qubits is linearly proportional to the lattice size. Thus, it has been suggested that a quantum computer with around 50 qubits could already outperform classical computers, in the sense that larger lattice sizes are accessible.
   
   The Hubbard model was originally introduced in condensed matter physics to describe electronic phase transitions. Studying phase transitions generally requires the study of large systems, with sufficient accuracy to distinguish electronic phases that are very close in energy. This project will investigate the connection between the capabilities of quantum computing and the needs of condensed matter physics. Given a certain number of qubits and fidelity of the quantum computation, how much certainty can we have about the phase diagram of the Hubbard model? Can we expect quantum computers to give a universal solution for the Hubbard model, or will there be ‘hard’ and ‘easy’ regions in parameter space, similar to classical computational strategies?

Quantum entanglement engines Contact person: Armin Tavakoli. In recent years there has been much interest in understanding the nonclassical nature of autonomous open quantum systems. A few years ago, it was shown that two time-independently interacting qubits that each are in contact with classical thermal reservoirs can give rise to dynamics that renders them in an entangled steady state. While it is conceptually intriguing, the entanglement is very noisy and can therefore be simulated classically for most quantum information purposes.

The purpose of the proposed project is to investigate whether, and to what extent, entanglement generation can be boosted in such autonomous thermal machines if they are additionally supplied with a continuous quantum feedback loop. Specifically, one qubit is continuously measured and the noisy outcome is fed back through a simple local operation on the same qubit. Alternative approaches to boosting out-of-equilibrium entanglement generation will also be explored and implementations will be investigated based on quantum dots. A successful result would show that modest single-qubit quantum resources can strengthen the nonclassical nature of open quantum system dynamics.

Qualifications

• Ongoing Swedish university education in physics or another subject relevant for the project, at bachelor, master or equivalent level. This qualification is required by the financing agency.
• Very good knowledge of English, both spoken and written, is a requirement.

Other merits

• Knowledge about the specific topic of the internship project applied for is considered a merit.
• Consideration will be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence.

Terms of employment
Fixed term employment for 2,5-5 months on 50-100%, during the summer 2023. Starting date and scope is decided in agreement with the project contact person.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications should include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the employment corresponds to your qualifications. Please specify which of the three project you apply for, and if more than one, provide an order of priority. The application should also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).

Welcome with your application!