The Quantum Information and Optics Lab, affectionately known as the Q Lab, is a part of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Northern Virginia. Each year, the lab welcomes a handful of seniors conducting their capstone research project. Equipped with state-of-the-art microscopes, optical equipment and sensors, the Q Lab enables these young physicists to conduct research in a college-like environment.
Recently Updated Projects
Optimizing Quantum State Transfer in Sparse Networks
A quantum network can be modeled as a graph, with vertices representing sites that can hold an excitation and edges representing couplings between those sites. An excitation may be spread across several sites in a superposition. As the state evolves, probability amplitudes combine through interference, changing where the excitation is likely to ... read more
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2D Thermal Mapping of a Microchip Using Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond
Introduction:
Infrared sensors are currently the most popular method for industrial temperature mapping, but they have limitations when applied to complex materials and micrometer-level scales. For example, infrared wavelengths can range from 0.7μm to 20μm. In addition, factors such as the emissivity of a material, as well as changes in ambie... read more
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YBCO Superconductor with Intercalated Calcium
Superconductors show promising applications in future electric grids in that they are capable of conducting electricity with zero resistance. Thus, they have the potential to massively increase the efficiency of current flow, which is applicable to commercial power grids and EV chargers. However, currently discovered superconductors exhibit super... read more
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Optimizing Angular Multiplexing for Holograph Data Storage
Holographic data storage involves storing many two-dimensional images inside a certain volume filled with photopolymer by slightly tilting the reference beam. It presents a good alternative to hard drives, as it offers both high capacity and access rates. One of the main techniques this is achieved by is angular multiplexing. Conventional angula... read more
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Sparsification and Variable Reduction of Portfolio Optimization QUBOs with QAOA
Our project began with a simple question: if some covariances between stocks are very small, do we need to keep all of them when optimizing a portfolio? In a quantum circuit, retaining a pairwise interaction can add gates. Removing enough interactions might make the calculation easier, but it could also change which stocks are selected. We want ... read more
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On the Efficacy of Solving the Poisson Equation through a QPINN
Physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) solve differential equations by training a neural net- work while penalizing violations of the governing equation and boundary conditions in the loss function [1]. Quantum physics-informed neural networks (QPINNs) extend this idea by embedding a parameterized quantum circuit within part of the classical n... read more
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Shrinking Quantum Key Distribution onto a Chip
Quantum key distribution (QKD) allows two parties to establish a shared secret key while detecting whether an eavesdropper has intercepted the communication. In the BB84 protocol, information is encoded using four quantum states divided between two measurement bases. Because measuring a quantum state can disturb it, an eavesdropper attempting to in... read more
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