8/1/2024 Sarah Maria Hagen
Written by Sarah Maria Hagen
Quantum information research gets a lot of publicity, but how to know if this job is the right one for someone? For many undergraduates, summer work experiences or internships are key to identifying or cementing interest in a particular career. Enter REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates), summer programs which fund students to do real work as a member of a research group at a particular university.
Illinois’ NSF-funded Physics REU program has been active since 1993. Each summer, around 10-20 undergraduate students are placed under the guidance of an Illinois faculty member and become part of their group. There, the students can be tasked with a variety of hands-on research experiences including theoretical, computational, and experimental projects.
The same diversity of projects exists for those which involve quantum information concepts, a particular strength of Illinois’ program. This year, three Physics REU students conducted work for IQUIST members.
Ronan Hanley
Ronan Hanley is a rising senior at Washington University in St. Louis. For his REU program, Hanley is mentored by IQUIST Research Program Manager Patrick Snyder. Together, they are working with a collaborator at Oak Ridge National Lab, Ali Passian, Research Scientist, and with the group of Bardeen Professor of Physics, Paul Kwiat, to enhance the sensitivity of certain metrological techniques by using the quantum nature of photons.
Hanley’s work was more specifically focused on characterizing the light used in the experiment and helping to build the first version of the optical setup, both critical steppingstones for future work in this experiment.
“It is super rewarding to come in with almost no knowledge of the subject to be able to see myself go from a complete novice to someone who can hold a competent conversation about my research area,” says Hanley. “I also really love doing experimental work because it is very rewarding to be able to work with your hands on something and get interesting data out of it.”
Now at the end of the summer, Hanley, who applied for the REU in order to experience research in an environment different from his home institution, is looking to apply to PhD programs in the fall.
“This program has really affirmed for me that I love research and I love physics, and it has made me even more excited for what comes next for me,” says Hanley.
Ryan Henderson
For Duke University rising senior Ryan Henderson, it was a quantum engineering course that motivated him to apply to work with IQUIST Member and Assistant Professor of Physics Angela Kou, whose group focuses on constructing and testing novel superconducting qubits.
“Of all the current efforts, superconducting qubits were the most attractive to me,” says Henderson, who is working on improving these qubits by considering the action of a magnetic field which interacts with the superconducting circuit that is at the core of these qubits. “My research this summer is reinforcing the idea that superconducting qubits are a viable means of creating useful quantum computers, and I am learning even more about the field.”
Henderson’s project requires him to simulate an apparatus integrated with the superconducting circuit that makes up the qubit, which will later be fabricated. Since there are many components to the chip which contains the whole set-up, there are many opportunities to get stuck. In these situations, Henderson has learned techniques researchers may use, including collaborating with others.
“I’ve addressed problems with simulation software by working physically in the lab and asking grad students when I have issues. I’ve found this to be vital for efficient work; otherwise, it might take hours (or days) of scouring the internet to resolve an issue when the solution was to, say, change a single parameter in a hidden menu.”
Quick to credit the many graduate students that have been helpful in his research, Henderson is looking to join their ranks by applying to graduate schools for physics in the fall.
Hailey Murray
Another student looking to apply for graduate school in the fall is Hailey Murray, a rising senior at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University. This summer, Murray is working in the group of IQUIST member and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Eric Chitambar. Chitambar’s group focuses on solving problems in theoretical information theory.
Murray’s project focuses on quantum information masking, which is when the original information described by a quantum state cannot be identified if only one part of the state is considered. Specifically, Murray is working to generalize this idea to the broader notion of quantum channel, which sends quantum information.
“The primary challenge I have faced so far has been keeping a clear view of the big picture of my project,” says Murray. “Because this project is theoretical, it is easy to get lost in the tedious math. So far, my strategy for avoiding this has been to partition my day so that I must spend time reading applicable literature and gaining a better intuitive understanding of the concepts I’m working to better understand the math.”
This work has paid off, with Murray crediting her efforts, as well as the mentorship of Chitambar and graduate student Anna Honeycutt, as responsible for developing an intuitive understanding of the project’s ideas. Another necessary component has been a large amount of reviewing scientific literature.
“Understanding the papers well enough to be able to apply their findings often requires significant supplemental reading,” says Murray.
Such insights are vital to these future researchers as well as the entire REU experience. Prolonged time exclusively dedicated to research most closely reflects an authentic taste of what graduate school is like, in general and here at Illinois.
The physics program’s REU offerings have also served as a recruitment tool, another reason why a strong offering of quantum projects in recent years is so helpful. The diverse undergraduate research projects are reflective of the breadth of research happening within IQUIST.
For students looking to apply for an REU experience next summer, be sure to look for the applications opening on the Illinois programs’ websites in late fall/early winter of this coming school year.
This year’s Physics REU students will be presenting their final projects on Friday, August 2nd, at 9 a.m. in Loomis Room 136. This event open to the public.