Joint research group for quantum computing and simulation
© Freie Universität Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) are now strengthening their cooperation in the field of quantum computing with a new research group. Quantum materials exhibit very interesting properties, which researchers want to use to make data processing significantly faster and more efficient than is currently possible. They can study these materials excellently at synchrotron radiation sources such as BESSY II. It has proven especially promising to predict the material properties in quantum simulations before running the experiments. Taking this approach allows such experiments to be conducted more targetedly.
“Simulating how highly complex material properties emerge”
Jens Eisert is a professor of physics at Freie Universität Berlin and the head of the joint research group. He is an internationally renowned expert for quantum many-body theory, quantum information theory, and quantum optics.
How did this collaboration with HZB come about?
Jens Eisert: Our collaboration arose out of promising and inspiring discussions with Bella Lake, a physicist at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin. We had been working on problems of strongly correlated systems in the laboratory, which were difficult to solve with conventional methods. At that stage, the methods of tensor networks were able to deliver the first insights for those systems, but not a comprehensive picture. It took a lot of hard work before we could develop methods powerful enough to model and simulate correlated systems out of the laboratory. From this cooperation, we recognised the major potential that existed in stronger collaboration.
What other points of contact do you see between your research and the topics addressed at HZB?
There are many opportunities. The initial discussions with Bella Lake have culminated in a research programme that offers many possibilities – a genuinely comprehensive programme.To name a few, Johannes Reuther, Oliver Rader, Boris Naydenov, Annika Bande, and other researchers from HZB have announced their interest in collaborating. And indeed it makes sense, from a strategic point of view, to build up a combined initiative on quantum technologies in Berlin.
Are there already any concrete ideas for practical projects the research group can work on?
Definitely. There are many topics that we are already working on, or intend to tackle soon. As a concrete example, we are investigating how highly complex properties emerge out of simple interactions in quantum materials – and how they can be modelled. Together, we also want to delve deeper into questions of realistic quantum computers and quantum simulators. First, we will recruit two new researchers to tackle those questions. They will be working mainly at Freie Universität Berlin, but will maintain very close contact with HZB. I am very pleased about this collaboration because working directly with groups from HZB who also conduct experiments is very fruitful for theoretical physics.
- BESSY II: Phosphorous chains – a 1D material with 1D electronic propertiesFor the first time, a team at BESSY II has succeeded in demonstrating the one-dimensional electronic properties of a material through a highly refined experimental process. The samples consisted of short chains of phosphorus atoms that self-organise at specific angles on a silver substrate. Through sophisticated analysis, the team was able to disentangle the contributions of these differently aligned chains. This revealed that the electronic properties of each chain are indeed one-dimensional. Calculations predict an exciting phase transition to be expected as soon as these chains are more closely packed. While material consisting of individual chains with longer distances is semiconducting, a very dense chain structure would be metallic.
- Did marine life in the palaeocene use a compass?Some ancient marine organisms produced mysterious magnetic particles of unusually large size, which can now be found as fossils in marine sediments. An international team has succeeded in mapping the magnetic domains on one of such ‘giant magnetofossils’ using a sophisticated method at the Diamond X-ray source. Their analysis shows that these particles could have allowed these organisms to sense tiny variations in both the direction and intensity of the Earth’s magnetic field, enabling them to geolocate themselves and navigate across the ocean. The method offers a powerful tool for magnetically testing whether putative biological iron oxide particles in Mars samples have a biogenic origin.
- What vibrating molecules might reveal about cell biologyInfrared vibrational spectroscopy at BESSY II can be used to create high-resolution maps of molecules inside live cells and cell organelles in native aqueous environment, according to a new study by a team from HZB and Humboldt University in Berlin. Nano-IR spectroscopy with s-SNOM at the IRIS beamline is now suitable for examining tiny biological samples in liquid medium in the nanometre range and generating infrared images of molecular vibrations with nanometre resolution. It is even possible to obtain 3D information. To test the method, the team grew fibroblasts on a highly transparent SiC membrane and examined them in vivo. This method will provide new insights into cell biology.