Research Areas
Quantum Information
Information theory enlightened our understanding of quantum phenomena. Given the high computational complexity of quantum entropies, I'm interested in devising more accessible descriptions in terms of classical entropies to probe quantum features. I also investigate information in quasi-probability distributions over phase space.
Quantum Fields
Three out of four fundamental forces are described by quantum field theories. I'm curious about understanding entanglement shared among spacetime regions, information spreading, phase transitions, thermalization and how to probe such effects in the laboratory.
Gravity
Spacetime is geometry. I'm fascinated by quantum and analog gravity, i.e., the simulation of gravitational phenomena and their interplay with quantum effects using table-top experiments. I'm working on realizations via photonic and ultracold atom platforms to test entanglement across analog horizons and the black hole information paradox.
Quantum optics
Linear photonic chips implement arbitrary passive Gaussian unitaries and display a fast-growing mode count, which lead to the demonstration of quantum advantage via the task of Gaussian boson sampling. On the way to a universal, fault-tolerant quantum computer, I work on certification methods as well as novel applications such as quantum field simulation.
Ultracold quantum gases
Over the last decades, ultracold quantum gases have proven to serve as ideals testbeds for investigating quantum many-body physics in strongly interacting regimes. I explore the prospects of Bose-Einstein condensates and enjoy the insightful collaborations with various experimentalists.
Phenomena
Entanglement
How can entanglement be characterized and certified efficiently, especially for continuous-variable and quantum many-body systems? Which role does entanglement play in field theories, non-equilibrium evolution and topological matter? How does entanglement spread in and connect spacetime? How is entanglement related with gravity?
Quantum field simulation
How can quantum field theories be efficiently simulated using current and near-term quantum hardware? How can quantum information be assessed experimentally in the continuum? Where do quantum computers offer new insights into fundamental physics?
Uncertainty
What is the most general formulation of the uncertainty principle? How are uncertainty relations for bosons, spins and fermions related? How can uncertainty relations be devised for field theories? How can uncertainty relations help to formulate entanglement witnesses and constrain quantum entropies?
Thermalization
How can equilibrium and non-equilibrium situations be described in field theories? How does the mesoscopic local equilibrium arise from microscopic degrees of freedom and entanglement? When and how do isolated quantum systems thermalize locally and when not? How can local thermalization be certified efficiently? How can local temperatures be measured?
Quanta in curved spacetime
Which entropic descriptions capture the observer-dependence of particles and entanglement accurately? How can quantum phenomena in curved spacetime such as Hawking radiation and cosmological particle production be accessed in quantum field simulators? How does information escape from black holes?
