How do large collections of interacting quantum particles evolve in time? Even when each particle obeys simple rules, their collective behavior can be remarkably rich. Our research focuses on understanding when and how quantum systems reach equilibrium, and on identifying situations where this process breaks down.
An integrable system, in contrast with a generic ergodic system, has many conserved quantities that constrain its time evolution. When a small perturbation breaks these conservation laws, it is expected to eventually reach thermal equilibrium. Remarkably, we find that the time to reach equilibrium can be significantly longer than expected in many systems of interest.
Many systems in nature can remain for a long time in states far from equilibrium, such as supercooled water or the magnetic memory in our computers. This occurs when the system becomes trapped in a local energy minimum. In our research, we focus on understanding how such metastable behavior can arise in quantum many-body systems.
Many systems that obey quantum physics—such as materials with strong interactions or models from high-energy physics—are extremely difficult to study with classical computers. Quantum simulators offer a powerful alternative: they use well-controlled quantum platforms, such as cold atoms or superconducting qubits, to emulate the behavior of these otherwise intractable systems. I work closely with experimental groups to design and analyze quantum simulation protocols that can reveal new phases of matter, probe real-time dynamics, or test fundamental theoretical ideas.
When two particles are bound by a confining potential (such as a quark and an anti-quark), pulling them apart will lead to the creation of additional particles that screen the potential, a process known as string breaking. We have recently demonstrated this phenomenon in a trapped ion quantum simulator.
Lattice gauge theories are central to our understanding of the standard model of particle physics and also capture emergent phenomena in strongly correlated systems, such as quantum spin liquids. Realizing these theories controllably in a quantum simulator would allow us to overcome key limitations of classical simulations. In our work, we have proposed implementations of lattice gauge theories on platforms including cold atoms in optical lattices and Rydberg atom arrays, and explored their rich and exotic dynamical behaviors.
08.10.2025
From the program Learning the Fine Structure of Quantum Dynamics in Programmable Quantum Matter at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara
11.02.2025
From the workshop Exact Solutions in Quantum Information: Entanglement, Topology, and Quantum Circuits at the Banff International Research Station
15.11.2024
From the program Many-Body Quantum Optics at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, Santa Barbara
16.08.2024
From the 2024 Quantum Simulation Conference at the University of Rhode Island