Quantum Simulation

Alessio Celi has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Physics at the UAB since 2019. He obtained his PhD at the University of Milan in 2004. Subsequently, he did a postdoctoral stay at KU Leuven (2004-05), he has been a Juan de la Cierva (2006-2008) and postdoctoral (2009-2010) researcher at the UB. He has also been a Research Fellow at ICFO (2011-2017) and Senior Postdoc at the University of Innsbruck (2018). He has applied his original supergravity/string theory experience to quantum technologies by proposing: (i) novel tools for quantum simulation based on HEP ​​(synthetic networks) ideas and (ii) efficient methods for simulating gravity and LGT with ultracold atoms.

Leticia Tarruell has been Head of the Ultracold Quantum Gas experimental group at ICFO since 2013. She obtained her PhD at the ENS in Paris in 2008, she has done a postdoctoral stay at the ETH in Zurich (2008-2012) and has been a researcher at the Institut d’Optique de Bordeaux-CNRS (2012-2013). She is an expert in experimental quantum simulation with gases of ultracold atoms, particularly with bosonic mixtures and fermions in optical networks. She has received the Novel Researcher Award in Experimental Physics from the Royal Spanish Physics Society in 2015.

Antonio Acín is ICREA Professor and Head of the Quantum Information Theory group at ICFO since 2008. He obtained his PhD from the University of Barcelona in 2001, and after two years of postdoctoral work at the University of Geneva, he joined ICFO in 2003. His research is primarily focused on new quantum information protocols, with an emphasis on cryptographic applications and methods for characterizing quantum correlations. Dr Acín has been awarded four scholarships from the European Research Council: Starting (2008-13), Proof of Concept (2012-13), Consolidator (2014-19) and Advanced (2020-24) and holds the AXA Chair in Quantum Information Science.

Maciej Lewenstein is ICREA Professor and Head of the Optical Quantum Theory Research Group at ICFO since 2005. He obtained his PhD at the University of Essen in 1983 and then postdoctoral stays at the University of Essen and Harvard until 1995, when he became a faculty member of the Center de l’Energie Atomique (1995-1998) and of the Leibniz Universität (1998-2005). He is an expert in theoretical physics (atomic and molecular physics, quantum optics, ultrafast and laser physics, condensed matter physics, statistical physics, mathematical physics), quantum information science, theoretical physics for bio-sciences and social sciences.

Darrick Chang is ICREA Professor since 2018 and Head of Theoretical Quantum Nanophotonics Group at ICFO since 2011. He obtained his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 2008 and subsequently did a postdoctoral stay at Caltech (2008-2011). His research is in the areas of quantum optics and atomic physics, nanophotonics, optomechanics and 2D materials. Among other recognitions, he has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant in 2015.

Verònica Ahufinger has been an associate professor in the UAB Department of Physics since 2010. She obtained her PhD at the UAB in 2002, to later become a Marie Curie fellow for two years at the Leibniz Universität. Between 2005 and 2010 she was an ICREA researcher, between 2011 and 2014 she was the academic coordinator of the degree in Physics and the double degrees of Physics + Mathematics and Physics + Chemistry at the UAB and between 2014 and 2016 she was vice-dean of the Faculty of the same university. She has also been a scientific collaborator of the State Research Agency between 2016 and 2018. In recent years, she has worked in the control of the external degrees of freedom of matter waves and in the use of ultracold atoms in optical networks as quantum simulators.

Jordi Mompart has been an associate professor at the UAB since 2004. Currently, he is also the coordinator of the PhD program in Physics at the UAB, and the UAB coordinator of the Master in Photonics and the Master Europhotonics. He obtained his PhD at the UAB in 1999. After a postdoctoral stay as a Marie Curie fellow at the Leibniz Universität (2001-2002), he became a full professor at the UAB. His research interests range from laser physics, cone refraction, and quantum optics to cold atoms and quantum information.

Anna Sanpera has been an ICREA professor and professor at the UAB Physics Department since 2005. She obtained her PhD at the UAB in 1992. She has done postdoctoral stays at the University of Oxford (1993-1996), at the Center de l’Energie Atomique (1996-1998) and in 1998 she was assigned a Research Fellow at the Leibniz Universität until 2005. Her Research interests are fairly interdisciplinary, ranging from quantum information theory to quantum gases and condensed matter. She is currently working on the interface between quantum information and condensed matter, having stable collaborations with different research groups both nationally and internationally.

Bruno Julià-Díaz has been an associate professor in the Department of Quantum Physics and Astrophysics of the UB since 2017. He obtained his PhD at the University of Salamanca in 2003, having subsequently carried out several postdoctoral stays at the University of Helsinki (2003-2004), the Center de l’Energie Atomique (2004-2005) and the University of Pittsburgh (2005). He has been a Juan de la Cierva researcher (2006-2009) at ICFO and a Ramon y Cajal researcher (2012-2017) at the UB. His research ranges from nuclear and hadron physics to ultra-cold gases and quantum many-body physics.

Jordi Boronat is a professor at the Barcelona School of Informatics at the UPC, coordinator of the master’s degree in Physical Engineering and since 2019 director of the Physics department. He obtained his PhD at the University of Barcelona in 1991 and in 1993 he joined the UPC, where he has held various positions. He leads the Barcelona Quantum Monte Carlo (BQMC) group (bqmc.upc.edu) and, together with Dr Joaquim Casulleras, from the same Department, launched a new line of research on the numerical simulation of quantum fluids and solids. The priority objective of the group is the improvement of quantum simulation tools and their application in the microscopic study of quantum systems of many particles. He received the Distinction of the Generalitat de Catalunya for the Promotion of University Research (2002).

Ramon Muñoz has been a professor in Theoretical Physics at the UAB since 2003. He obtained his PhD from the University of Barcelona in 1991. Prior to his current position, he has received Fleming and Marie Curie fellowships at the University of Durham. His field of research is Theoretical Physics, having been one of the promoters of the Quantum Information group at the UAB. The main research focus is on aspects of quantum statistical inference, having obtained very relevant results in discrimination, estimation and quantum metrology and is currently studying sequential analysis in quantum processes. He was awarded the third national prize for completion of Physics studies (Spain) and extraordinary thesis prize (University of Barcelona).