Graduate Research
[Work in progress] My general dissertation area is quantum algorithms, with a particular interest in near-term algorithms.
Undergraduate Research
At the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, I worked with Dr. Yaoyun Shi on quantum computing during and after my senior year. This was my first experience in quantum computing and was mostly educational.
I also spent two summers at Michigan Technological Research Institute where I worked on software development, Fourier analysis, machine learning, and other problems.
Also during my undergraduate degree, I did many individual research projects for courses, a sample of which are included below.
I also spent two summers at Michigan Technological Research Institute where I worked on software development, Fourier analysis, machine learning, and other problems.
Also during my undergraduate degree, I did many individual research projects for courses, a sample of which are included below.
Proof of photons, quantum entanglement, and local realism.
Abstract: Two experiments in quantum mechanics are performed: spontaneous parametric downconversion and proof of single photon existence. In the former, we achieve coupled photon states and verify a Gaussian distribution of photon count rate vs. detector angle. In the latter, with a three detector assembly we measure the degree of second order coherence $g^{(2)}(0) = 0.0404 \pm 0.1368$ and thereby experimentally demonstrate the existence of photons. By performing a two detector measurement, we reaffirm the classical prediction of $g^{(2)}(0) \ge 1$ and regain the wave nature of light. In addition, other possible experiments that could be performed with a similar experimental setup, such as quantum entanglement and local realism, are discussed. This project was one of three individual experiments performed for Physics 442, Advanced Laboratory II (paper). I also gave a final presentation on one aspect of this experiment (slides). |
Cosmological expansion and dark energy.
Abstract: Nearly all light observed from distant stellar objects is redshifted -- not from relative motion but from expansion of the cosmos itself. In the 1920s, Edwin Hubble observed that redshift is proportional to distance, and in 2011 the Nobel prize in physics was awarded for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe through observations of distant supernovae. A proposed cause of this accelerated expansion is dark energy, a mysterious form of matter that doesn't interact with light and pushes things apart. Dark energy could have serious implications about the genetic makeup of the cosmos, its origins, and its fate. This presentation was given as a final research project for Physics 391, Modern Physics Laboratory. (slides) |
Ion containment with magnetic bottles.
Abstract: Ion containment is important to several branches of science, including physics and chemistry. Using vPython, this paper explores the motion of charged particles in a magnetic bottle, a type of magnetic mirror created by two current-carrying coils. The magnetic field is calculated and displayed inside of the bottle, and trajectories of ions that do and do not get trapped are shown. The velocity criteria of trapped particles is explored as well as other initial conditions (such as charge and initial position) that determine whether or not an ion gets trapped. This research constituted the final project for Physics 260, Electricity and Magnetism. (paper) |