Quantum Science and Technologies
Workshop
Thursday 11th Sept., 12 pm-5pm
Drinks reception 5-6 pm
Room 1.06, Armstrong Building, Newcastle University
Quantum science is one of the most influential scientific developments of the
past century, of relevance across numerous disciplines, including physics,
chemistry, maths, materials science and engineering, with diverse applications
ranging from atomic clocks and precision measurements, to novel materials,
miniaturised devices, medical imaging and improved methods of computation.
A broad range of research in quantum-related themes is currently undertaken
at Newcastle University, spanning numerous Schools and a number of
interdisciplinary/inter-University research centres. The aim of this workshop is
to bring together Newcastle staff, postdocs and PhD students working in any
area of quantum science, both theory and practical applications, with the
intention of exploring new links and raising awareness of the importance of
quantum science throughout the campus.
The workshop coincides with the introduction of a new
physics degree and the submission of a bid for Quantum Technology funding
with main partners in Durham and Imperial College. Within the context of the
Joint Quantum Centre Durham-Newcastle, this workshop will also include
representation from our Durham collaborators.
The meeting is open to anybody with some basic interest in quantum
mechanics and its applications
Please contact johanna.gascoigne-owens@newcastle.ac.uk or emma.bowen@newcastle.ac.uk for further
information
Schedule
12:00 - 13:00
Registration and Lunch
13:00 - 13:10
Welcome and Background
Nick Proukakis
School of Mathematics and
Statistics, JQC
13:10 - 13:50
Session One
13:10 - 13:35
The Joint Quantum Centre: A Cross-Disciplinary, Cross-Institutional
Collaboration
Simon Gardiner
Joint Quantum Centre (JQC)
13:35 - 13:50
Engineering Long-Range Interactions in Quantum Systems
Simon Cornish
Joint Quantum Centre (JQC)
Chair: Nick Proukakis
13:50 - 14:50
Session Two
13:50 - 14:05
Quantum effects in semiconductor electronics
Alton Horsfall
School of Electrical and
Electronics Engineering
14:05 - 14:20
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron transport in the range 100eV to
1500eV and a transport cross-section analogue of the Ramsauer-Townsend
effect
Peter Cumpson
School of Mechanical and
Systems Engineering
14:20 - 14:35
Quantum Turbulence
Carlo Barenghi
School of Mathematics and
Statistics, JQC
14:35 - 14:45
- Discussion -
14:45 - 15:15
Coffee
15:15- 17:00
Session Three
15:15 - 15:30
Quantum mechanics and fundamental physics
Ian Moss
School of Mathematics and
Statistics
15:30 - 15:45
Quantum turbulence in 3He-B: Theory and numerical analysis of Andreev
scattering by vortices and turbulent structures
Yuri Sergeev
School of Mechanical and
Systems Engineering, JQC
15:45 - 16:00
Quantum mechanical modelling of colour centres in diamond
Jon Goss
School of Electrical and
Electronics Engineering
16:00 - 16:15
Nanocrystals (NCs) and nanomaterial 3D architecture and their applications
16:15 - 16:30
Quantum Gases: State-of-the-art Modelling for Future Applications
Lidija Siller
School of Chemical
Engineering and Advanced
Materials
Nick Proukakis
School of Mathematics and
Statistics, JQC
16:30 - 16:50
Dynamic processes observed by scanning tunneling microscopes: vibrations,
diffusions and reactions
16:50 - 17:00
- Discussion -
17:00 - 17:05
- Close -
17:05 - 18:00
Drinks reception
Chair: Ian Moss
Chair: Alton Horsfall
Werner Hofer
SAgE Dean of Reseearch and
Innovation / School of
Chemistry
Ian Moss
Summary of invited talks
Dr Simon Gardiner
Joint Quantum Centre
Reader at the Centre for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Department of Physics,
Durham University
The Joint Quantum Centre: A Cross-Disciplinary, Cross-Institutional Collaboration
The Joint Quantum Centre (JQC) Durham-Newcastle officially began in 2012, formalising pre-existing
partnerships and collaborations between Durham Atomic and Molecular Physics, Durham
Chemistry's Theory and Dynamics group, and the Newcastle Quantum Fluids and Gases Group,
which has members from the School of Mathematics and Statistics, and Mechanical and Systems
Engineering. This has created a strong presence in the increasingly visible area of quantum science
and technology. I will give a brief overview of the Centre's composition, structure, and research
remit in experimental and theoretical quantum science, highlighting examples of beneficial
collaborations, recent research highlights, and possible future developments.
Prof Simon Cornish
Joint Quantum Centre
Professor at the Centre for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Department of Physics,
Durham University
Engineering Long-Range Interactions in Quantum Systems
The control with which the internal and external degrees of freedom can be manipulated in ultracold atomic and molecule systems leads naturally to many quantum technology applications.
However, in many cases it is necessary to engineer controlled long-range interactions between the
particles in the system. Within the Joint Quantum Centre we explore two complementary methods
for engineering such interactions, either using Rydberg states or polar molecules. This talk will focus
on a novel approach to produce ultracold polar molecules for applications in the field of quantum
simulation and will highlight the role of Feshbach resonances in the control of atomic systems.
Dr Alton Horsfall
Reader in Semiconductor Technology
School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Newcastle University
Quantum effects in semiconductor electronics
The dimensions of semiconductor devices are such that their operation can only be described using
quantum effects. From the behaviour of semiconductor - metal junctions to leakage currents in
dielectric stacks - the whole of the semiconductor industry is only possible because of a thorough
understanding of the quantum world. The focus of the talk will be in understanding the operation of
high temperature electronic devices and sensors being researched in Newcastle, with application to
a range of hostile environments.
Prof Peter Cumpson
Science City Prof in MEMS
School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering
Newcastle University
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron transport in the range 100eV to 1500eV, and a
transport cross-section analogue of the Ramsauer-Townsend effect
Newcastle hosts the EPSRC's national XPS facility, NEXUS, where we do analysis of the composition
and electronic properties of surfaces for over 110 different research groups across the UK.
Occasionally DFT calculations have helped, but frankly not much sophistication in modelling is
generally useful in XPS due to the difficultly in calculating final state effects to the required accuracy
(and the relative ease of measuring them). Nevertheless some interesting quantum mechanics
crops-up occasionally, and I'll mention one such case - the transport cross-section for electrons in
metals Z=77 to 80 at around 200eV.
Prof Carlo Barenghi
Professor of Fluid Dynamics
School of Mathematics and Statistics and Joint Quantum Centre
Newcastle University
Quantum Turbulence
The motion of quantum fluids such as atomic Bose-Einstein condensates and superfluid helium is
strongly affected by quantum mechanical constraints on the rotation. In particular, vorticity exists
only with the form of line singularities around which the quantum mechanical phase changes by
2 pi and the flow is persistent - it does not decay due to viscous dissipation. Experiments and
numerical simulations show that from the interaction of a sufficient number of such elementary
vortices properties emerge which are surprisingly similar to the properties of turbulence in ordinary
fluids. In other words, quantum fluids allow us to study turbulence, one of the most difficult
problems of classical physics, in a new way.
Prof Ian Moss
Professor of Theoretical Cosmology
School of Mathematics and Statistics
Newcastle University
Quantum mechanics and fundamental physics
Quantum theory is essential for our understanding of the small scale physics of the Higgs boson and
the large scale structure of the Universe. This talk will explain in simple terms how quantum theory
is used for these very different regimes and why they are related.
Prof Yuri Sergeev
Professor in Engineering Mathematics
School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering and Joint Quantum Centre
Newcastle University
Quantum turbulence in 3He-B: Theory and numerical analysis of Andreev scattering by quantized
vortices and turbulent structures
In low temperature 3He-B, quantized vortices and turbulent structures can be detected by means of
the experimental technique utilizing the Andreev scattering of thermal quasiparticle excitations. This
technique, pioneered by Lancaster University ULT group, is not yet a truly visualization technique but
quickly becoming one. It is anticipated that the visualization technique based on the Andreev
scattering will greatly assist in answering some of the still open questions of quantum turbulence. In
this talk the mechanism of Andreev scattering in Fermi superfluids will be briefly explained. A
current state, as well as anticipated future developments of the theoretical study and numerical
analysis of the Andreev scattering from vortices, vortex structures, and saturated vortex tangles in
3
He-B will be discussed.
Dr Jon Goss
Senior Lecturer in the Emerging Materials and Technologies group
School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Newcastle University
Quantum mechanical modelling of colour centres in diamond
Defects in diamond, and particularly the NV centre, have received prominence in the field of
quantum information technology and magnetometry as a consequence of their electronic spin
polarisation that can be accessed optically. Although the NV centre has many positive properties,
the zero-phonon transition is dominated by the phonon side-bands, and other potential colour
centres with more efficient emission characteristics are under investigation. Quantum-chemical
simulations allow access to the electronic structure of ideal point defects in crystalline materials, so
that many potential options can be assessed at a quantitative level for their suitability. In this
presentation, the outcome of recent density functional simulations in the investigation of both the
electronic structure and other properties of selected colour centres is reviewed.
Dr Lidija Siller
Reader in Nanoscale Science
School of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials
Newcastle University
Nanocrystals (NCs) and nanomaterial 3D architecture and their applications
The current interest of our research group is to synthesize semiconductor/metal nanomaterials with
targeted structures or/and functionalization in order to study optical, electronic, chemical and
catalytic properties (specific nanomaterials of our investigations are: nanodiamonds, Fe-doped TiOx
NCs, Bi nanomaterials and Si NCs; graphene-Bi NCs 3D layered structures and nanoporous materials:
Si aerogels and ZnO aerogels).
These nanomaterials it is believed may find use in photo-applications, energy storage and energy
savings as well as in the carbon capture and storage. Some of our recent work with Ni nanoparticles
is relevant to nanotoxicology and bio-mimicking.
Prof Nick Proukakis
Professor of Quantum Physics
School of Mathematics and Statistics and Joint Quantum Centre
Newcastle University
Quantum Gases: State-of-the-art Modelling for Future Applications
The field of quantum gases, a central area of research within the JQC, has been at the forefront of
physics for the past 20 years, through remarkable experimental achievements with ultracold atoms,
and more recently photons and light-matter excitations in semiconductor microcavities. The
noteworthy common aspect of those systems is that they display collective effects below a certain
critical temperature, associated with the appearance of a single macroscopically-occupied coherent
state, the Bose-Einstein condensate. Beyond their fundamental relevance, the detailed experimental
control attained in those systems, makes them ideal candidates for a range of applications, thus
necessitating a detailed understanding of the physics under experimentally-relevant conditions. This
talk will focus on the theoretical modelling of such systems undertaken at Newcastle and its
implications.
Prof Werner Hofer
Dean of Research and Innovation, Science Agriculture and Engineering Faculty
Professor in Chemical Physics
School of Chemistry
Newcastle University
Dynamic processes observed by scanning tunneling microscopes: vibrations, diffusions and
reactions
Dynamic processes in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) are increasingly the focus of cutting edge
research due to their importance for energy conversion and reaction processes. It is in principle
possible to study these processes by suitable adaptation of STM theory and a step-by-step analysis
of the processes themselves. I shall give several examples where such a detailed understanding is
indispensable for a comprehensive understanding e.g. in atomic switching and diffusion processes,
in molecular growth processes, condensation reactions, and long range molecular propagation even
on reactive surfaces. At the end of my talk I shall demonstrate that careful statistical analysis in
combination with high-resolution STM can even lead to surprising new insights into fundamental
physics.
FOR DIRECTIONS TO AMSTRONG BUILDING, PLEASE SEE CAMPUS MAP, BUILDING 22:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/about/visit/printablemaps/map-campus.htm