Join us to hear from Eric Bittner, the  Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Professor, from the University of Houston! 

Abstract: When we think of noise in quantum systems, we usually picture it as the great spoiler—washing out delicate superpositions and destroying entanglement. But the story is more interesting. Just as pendulum clocks on the same wall can spontaneously tick in unison, quantum systems can also synchronize, sometimes because of the noise in their environment rather than in spite of it. In this talk, I will explore how the structure of noise, the connectivity of a system, and even its dimensionality and topology, shape the way quantum states maintain—or lose—phase coherence. Drawing on examples that range from pairs of coupled spins to extended lattices and topological chains, I will show how correlations in the environment can protect certain collective modes, leading to unexpected resilience against decoherence. 
 

Along the way, we will see how ideas from classical synchronization, network theory, and topological physics converge in the quantum realm. The broader message is that noise and dissipation, usually treated as adversaries, can sometimes be harnessed as resources—pointing toward new strategies for stabilizing coherence in quantum devices and materials.
 

Host: Ignacio Franco |  ignacio.franco@rochester.edu