Project Details
TRR 183: Entangled States of Matter
Subject Area
Physics
Term
since 2016
Website
Homepage
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 277101999
The mission of our collaborative research center (CRC) is to exploit the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics to engineer condensed matter systems that materialize entanglement in a tangible manner. A salient feature of entangled states of matter is that the large number of atomistic constituents in a solid may mutually protect each other against the detrimental effects of decoherence. The emergence of entanglement on such macroscopic scales hinges on the interplay of three concepts, which at the same time define the research of our CRC: (i) Topological quantum matter. Entangled states of large quantum systems owe their existence to protection mechanisms of topological origin. A quantum wave function characterized by a non-trivial topological index – a ‘knotted’ wave function, so to speak – shows a high degree of robustness against the detrimental mechanisms of decoherence. The ensuing stable topological excitations are microscopic building blocks central to the construction of entangled states of matter. (ii) Quantum information. The advent of entangled quantum matter in solid-state realizations has given rise to a ‘hands-on’ approach in quantum information theory. Concepts of quantum information are harnessed in practical settings, such as tensor networks turning into design principles for synthetic quantum devices. Conversely, the experimental reality of noise-related sources of decoherence is addressed by exploring how disorder effects themselves can be used to stabilize quantum information. (iii) Quantum devices. The interplay of the physical ramifications of topology on the one hand, and quantum information on the other, leads to the proposal of novel condensed matter device architectures. Theoretical research on such quantum devices addresses the physics of fractionalized excitations, and specifically their realization in correlated materials, or in micron sized mesoscopic systems comprising semiconducting, metallic and superconducting hybrid elements. These systems serve as platforms for the design of architectures for ‘topological quantum computation’. Building on the synergy between the three areas defined above, the long-term vision of our CRC is to bring the fascinating physics of entanglement closer to the macroscopic realm. Concrete objectives for the second funding period include an expansion of our consultancy model with experimental groups, addressing foundational questions on the emergence of macroscopic entanglement in topological bulk materials, synthetic quantum devices, and novel platforms such as twisted bilayer graphene. We will design quantum control schemes for network architectures built from noise-affected qubit devices and develop protocols to actively manipulate topological excitations and the basic units of braiding and quantum information processing.
DFG Programme
CRC/Transregios
International Connection
Denmark, Israel
Current projects
- A01 - Topology and dynamics (Project Heads Berg, Erez ; Karrasch, Christoph ; Rosch, Achim )
- A02 - Gapless topological phases (Project Heads Beidenkopf, Haim ; Brouwer, Piet W. ; Diehl, Sebastian ; Egger, Reinhold ; Reuther, Johannes )
- A03 - Disordered topological matter (Project Heads Alldridge, Alexander ; Altland, Alexander ; Brouwer, Piet W. ; Eisert, Jens ; Zirnbauer, Martin R. )
- A04 - Theory of fractionalized topological phases (Project Heads Berg, Erez ; Hermanns, Maria ; Mross, David ; Oreg, Yuval ; Reuther, Johannes ; Stern, Adiel ; Trebst, Simon )
- B01 - Entanglement and machine learning (Project Heads Eisert, Jens ; Gross, Ph.D., David ; Kastoryano, Michael ; Rizzi, Matteo ; Trebst, Simon )
- B02 - Measurement and control of open quantum matter (Project Heads Diehl, Sebastian ; Eisert, Jens ; Gefen, Yuval ; Kastoryano, Michael ; Koch, Christiane ; Rudner, Mark )
- B04 - Entangled and synthetic quantum devices (Project Heads Altland, Alexander ; Egger, Reinhold ; Eisert, Jens ; Gefen, Yuval ; Oreg, Yuval )
- C01 - Measurement and manipulation of topological excitations (Project Heads Egger, Reinhold ; Gefen, Yuval )
- C02 - Engineering topological states of matter (Project Heads Berg, Erez ; Ilani, Shahal ; von Oppen, Felix ; Oreg, Yuval )
- C03 - Majorana platforms (Project Heads Franke, Katharina ; Michaeli, Karen ; von Oppen, Felix ; Stern, Adiel )
- C05 - Transmon qubits (Project Heads Altland, Alexander ; Koch, Christiane ; Metelmann, Anja )
- Z - Administration (Project Heads Altland, Alexander ; Trebst, Simon )
Completed projects
Applicant Institution
Universität zu Köln
Co-Applicant Institution
Freie Universität Berlin; Weizmann Institute of Science
Participating University
Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf; Københavns Universitet
Spokespersons
Professor Dr. Alexander Altland, until 3/2018; Professor Dr. Simon Trebst, since 4/2018