Events

Abstract: CQT Artist-in-residence Carmen de Matos has worked on murals and art pieces during her residency. Carmen will share about her process and inspiration in developing the works and will lead an art tour. The starting point of the tour is the Level 5 pantry. Refreshments will be provided.

Abstract: - How does an investor tick? - State of the global quantum landscape - Private und public funding - The quantum landscape and its players - How can one build bridges between them? Entrepreneurship Workshops, Challenges etc.

Abstract: Quantum computing began with the insight that quantum systems should be simulated by quantum devices. This thesis turns that insight into an algorithm design principle: when a computational task has the structure of a physical process, that process can suggest an efficient quantum algorithm. The thesis develops this viewpoint in three settings, including applications for machine learning model inference, rare event sampling, and new algorithm designs by engineering open quantum system dynamics. Together, these results demonstrate how physical intuition can drive algorithmic discovery beyond standard quantum simulation.

Abstract: In Q4 2025, LLM-based tools quietly crossed a threshold: with the right workflow, a single researcher can now easily produce verified scientific results at a rate that previously required a small research group. Starting from the transformer as a stateless function made stochastic by sampling, Irebuild the agent stack from first principles: chat as scaffolded API calls, agents as while loops with tool calls, context management as the reason chat interfaces silently ruin your results, and multi-agent orchestration as the natural endpoint. I then turn to workflows that verify rather than merely generate: adversarial verification protocols paired with Lamport's structured proof format, which exposes logical dependencies and, by refining claims into sub-claims, spans a spectrum of rigour from prose to formal verification. Iexplain enough of the architecture to diagnose context rot, hyperfixation andsycophancy, and favour techniques that amplify LLMs as they improve over those that merely patch today's flaws. The gap between "I tried ChatGPT and ithallucinated" and "a powerful force multiplier for research" is closed by technique and domain expertise, not by better models. I conclude with some of the acute challenges posed to science and society by the rapid advance of AI.

Abstract: Quantum reservoir engineering harnesses dissipation to control quantum systems. Multi-photon dissipation - a key resource for bosonic qubits - is usually realized by parametrically pumping a Josephson coupler at the cost of parasitic Kerr terms. In this talk, I will show how we instead engineer multi-photon losses in a high-Q resonator using a dc-voltage-biased SQUID, such that these parasitic terms average out by construction. We activate the controlled conversion of one, two, or four photons of a high-Q mode into a single buffer photon, and characterize the two-photon dissipation by Wigner tomography, establishing dc-biased junctions as an intrinsically Kerr-free resource for reservoir engineering and a viable route to cat-qubit stabilization.

Abstract: Ultracold gases trapped in optical lattices are a great platform for simulating the physics of condensed matter systems since they bring benefits of smaller scale, higher purity, and greater controllability, among other advantages. In my informal talk, I will give a brief introduction to the Fermi-Hubbard model, the system I aim to study in my project, followed by an overview of the techniques we use to create stable optical lattices in the lab that are resistant to phase and intensity fluctuations. In that connection, I will go over indispensable engineering and optics concepts such as negative feedback control, heterodyne sensing, and acousto-optic modulators that are routinely used by experimentalists. My goal is to make it possible for people outside the domain of atomic and optical physics to understand and appreciate the various ingredients that go into doing physics research in the lab.

The ninth edition of the Workshop on Quantum Technologies on Small Satellites will take place 19-20 October 2026 in Singapore. The two-day event will focus on (small) satellite technologies and quantum experiments in space – including both space-based and ground architectures, from component through to mission design. Participants are given the opportunity to share ideas, directions, and concerns to advance the state of the field. The workshop is co-hosted by the QTX research forum led by Alexander Ling of NUS and Markus Krutzik of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik. The forum met previously in Germany (2018, 2024), UK (2019), United Arab Emirates (2023) and online (2020, 2021).

Abstract: Quantum thermal machines are often understood through weak-coupling descriptions, where their operation as engines or refrigerators can be neatly classified via tuning hot/cold bath temperatures and realising population inversion. In our previous work (Gauthameshwar et al., Phys. Rev. A 112, L050201), we found that this picture can change dramatically as the coupling between the constituents becomes strong: hybridization reshapes the available energy-transfer pathways and can even alter the thermal operation of the device. In this talk, I will explore how these ideas extend to an autonomous three-bath absorption refrigerator and how such a machine could be realized in a superconducting circuit. I will introduce the basic physics of the three-level thermal machine, the effect of hybridisation on the heat currents that flow between each bath, the circuit elements and engineered thermal reservoirs needed to build it, and our current efforts to connect the predicted heat-flow signatures with experimentally accessible measurements. I will finish by discussing our current experimental challenge of making these heat currents measurable while preserving the operating regime and spectral selectivity required for the refrigerator to function as intended.

Abstract: A recurring challenge in science is extracting reliable conclusions from limited resources - whether those are the training samples available to a learning algorithm, the number of measurements one can perform on a quantum system, or the energy available to probe the physical world. This talk presents a unified framework for understanding how these resources can be leveraged for sensing and learning, and how well the resulting knowledge generalizes beyond the specific data or probe configurations used. We explore this through three distinct lenses: the classification of quantum many-body systems with a minimal number of measurements, the certification of quantum channels using only "cheap" low-energy probes, and finally, covert quantum sensing, where the requirement for stealth acts as a fundamental physical limit on information flow. Together, these results show how information-theoretic tools allow us to bridge the gap between restricted experimental data and the reliable characterization of quantum nature.

Abstract: Quantum Hamiltonian Descent (QHD) is a quantum counterpart of continuous-time gradient-based optimization, in which quantum effects such as tunnelling may help the search escape local minima. A natural target is the optimization of cost functions that are themselves hard to evaluate, such as those arising in the training of parametric quantum circuits, where the objective is estimated through measurements on quantum hardware. Here we study QHD as an optimizer for such objectives. We first analyze its behaviour on classical benchmark landscapes, tracing its limitations to diabatic transitions between low-lying eigenstates of the time-dependent Hamiltonian. We then discuss how QHD can be adapted to objective functions accessible only through a quantum device, and analyze how the resulting simulation error scales with the number of qubits and the dimension of the search space. Finally, we explore what role QHD could play in optimizing parametric quantum circuits, including as a source of structured, non-uniform initializations, and discuss its relation to known obstructions such as barren plateaus.

Abstract: Quantum Energy Teleportation (QET) is a novel quantum protocol that enables the transportation of energy between distant locations by exploiting the ground-state entanglement of quantum many-body systems. Although no physical energy carrier travels from the sender to the receiver, local operations assisted by classical communication allow energy to be extracted at a remote site without violating local causality or energy conservation. In this talk, I introduce the basic principles of QET and discuss its fundamental physical mechanism. I then present recent theoretical developments, including application to quantum batteries.

Abstract: The nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond exhibits spin-dependent fluorescence and long spin coherence times under ambient conditions, enabling applications in quantum information processing and sensing. NV centers near the surface can have strong interactions with external materials and spins, enabling new forms of nanoscale spectroscopy. However, NV spin coherence degrades within 100 nanometers of the surface, suggesting that diamond surfaces are plagued with ubiquitous defects. I will describe our recent efforts to correlate direct materials characterization with single spin measurements to devise methods to stabilize highly coherent NV centers within nanometers of the surface. We deploy these coherent shallow NV centers for a new nanoscale sensing technique, whereby we use covariance measurements of two or more NV centers to measure two-point magnetic field correlators. We demonstrate measurements of correlated applied noise using spin-to-charge readout of two NV centers and implement a spectral reconstruction protocol for disentangling local and nonlocal noise sources. We also demonstrate massively multiplexed magnetometry with high fidelity spin readout of hundreds of NV centers simultaneously. Finally, we develop protocols to use optically unresolved NV center pairs, entangled states of NV center pairs, and nuclear spins as multi-qubit sensors for measuring correlated noise, enabling covariance magnetometry at nanometer length scales. This novel quantum sensing platform will allow us to measure new physical quantities that are otherwise inaccessible with current tools, particularly in condensed matter systems where two-point correlators can be used to characterize charge transport, magnetism, and non-equilibrium dynamics. Our approach for correlating surface spectroscopy techniques with single qubit measurements to realize directed improvements is generally applicable to many systems. Separately, I will describe our recent efforts to tackle noise and microwave losses in superconducting qubits. Building large, useful quantum systems based on transmon qubits will require significant improvements in qubit relaxation and coherence times, which are orders of magnitude shorter than limits imposed by bulk properties of the constituent materials. This indicates that loss likely originates from uncontrolled surfaces, interfaces, and contaminants. Previous efforts to improve qubit lifetimes have focused primarily on designs that minimize contributions from surfaces. However, significant improvements in the lifetime of 2D transmon qubits have remained elusive for several years. We have recently fabricated 2D transmon qubits that have both lifetimes and coherence times exceeding 0.3 milliseconds by using tantalum as the material in the capacitor. Following this discovery, we have parametrized the remaining sources of loss in state-of-the-art devices using systematic measurements of the dependence of loss on temperature, power, and geometry. This parametrization, complemented by direct materials characterization, allows for rational, directed improvement of superconducting qubits. We have used this playbook to tackle the dominant sources of loss and noise to realize 2D transmons with coherence times exceeding 1 millisecond and lifetimes up to 1.68 milliseconds. Because we have improved the underlying material system without alteration to the qubit architecture, these qubits are readily translated to existing control schemes, and we demonstrate single qubit gates with 99.994% fidelity.

The Quantum Information Processing Conference (QIP) is the largest quantum information processing technology conference, which annually gathers the world’s brightest researchers and industry leaders for a week long program to present and discuss the latest achievements in quantum computing, cryptography, information theory, mathematics and physics. Recent editions have drawn nearly 1000 participants. In 2027, CQT will host the 30th edition of this conference in Singapore. QIP2027 will take place 20-26 February 2027.

The International Conference on Women in Physics (ICWIP) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) will take place in the National University Singapore (NUS) during 7-11 June 2027, hosted by the Physics Department, NUS and the Centre for Quantum Technologies, Singapore. The ICWIP2027 is the 9th in a series of triennial conferences by IUPAP since 2002 that brings together practitioners from all over the world in order to deliberate on both topics in physics and processes within physics practice, with the goal of transforming physics into a welcoming inclusive enterprise for everyone. The conference will feature inspiring keynote talks by eminent women scholars, sessions where participants can present their own research in physics and on equity and inclusion in physics, interactive workshops to engage with the barriers to equity and inclusion in physics, call-to-action sessions on recommendations for the profession and more...