Events at Physics |
Events During the Week of August 30th through September 6th, 2026
Monday, August 31st, 2026
- No events scheduled
Tuesday, September 1st, 2026
- Department Coffee Hour
- Cookie Potluck!
- Time: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
- Place: outside on the front steps (overlooking University Ave).
- Abstract: Bakers should bring a batch of their best to share! If you’re not a baker or don’t have time, just come hang out with us for a bit to have a cookie or two (we always have plenty!). For the bakers, it’d be helpful if you can mark your goodies with an allergens list (especially helpful to mark nuts/no nuts, dairy-free, gluten-free, etc.). If the weather’s nice, let’s gather outside on the front steps (overlooking University Ave).
- Host: Sharon Kahn
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026
- Academic Calendar
- Fall Semester Instruction Begins
- Abstract: *Note: actual end time may vary.* CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu
- Department Meeting
- Time: 12:15 pm - 1:30 pm
- Place: B343 Sterling
- Speaker: Kevin Black, UW - Madison
- Host: Kevin Black
Thursday, September 3rd, 2026
- R. G. Herb Condensed Matter Seminar
- Strongly anharmonic flux-tunable transmon based on InAs-Al two-dimensional heterostructure
- Time: 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
- Place: 5310 Chamberlin Hall
- Speaker: Arunav Bordoloi, NYU
- Abstract: Superconducting qubits inherently face a longstanding tradeoff between anharmonicity and susceptibility to charge noise - a limitation that affects even state-of-the-art transmons and gatemons. In this work, we overcome this limitation by demonstrating flux-frustrated transmons [1] that utilize the interference of higher-order harmonics in highly transparent epitaxial Al-InAs Josephson junctions (JJs) to achieve strongly enhanced anharmonicity. We experimentally demonstrate anharmonicity exceeding 100%, reaching as high as 800% with respect to the qubit transition frequency, at the half-integer flux sweet-spot without any increased sensitivity to the o set-charge noise. This enhancement allows us to achieve raw Rabi frequencies exceeding 100 MHz without the need for complex pulse shaping, greatly simplifying qubit control. Building on this approach, I will then present our ongoing e orts to further generalize these unique qubit architectures into devices with single JJs and multiple sweet-spots, alongside our progress in raising the operating temperature of these qubits to around 1 Kelvin to facilitate easier scaling. Ultimately, this combination of strong intrinsic anharmonicity, flux tunability and a minimalistic bare-bones device architecture - requiring no additional Josephson elements or electrical gating highlights the unique advantages that highly transparent superconducting-semiconducting junctions o er to scalable quantum information processing. [1] S. Liu*, A. Bordoloi* et al., Nature Communications 17, 740 (2026)
- Host: Roman Kuzmin
- Astronomy Colloquium
- Astronomy Colloquium: Show and Tell
- Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Place: 4421 Sterling Hall
- Abstract: The first two Thursday colloquia of the year will be held on September 3rd and September 10th, and will be our annual department orientation (also known as the "show and tell"). During these sessions, everyone will have 1.5 minutes to introduce themselves and provide a brief overview of their work. This is a great chance to get to know the diversity of research within our department, the faces behind the names, and everyone's favorite hobbies and interests.
- Host: Nicholas Stone
Friday, September 4th, 2026
- Physics Department Colloquium
- Anderson, Lawler, Lin Colloquium
- Lessons from Physics, Academia and Washington - Can we save science?
- Time: 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- Place: Chamberlin 2241
- Speaker: Neal Lane, former NSF Director and Clinton Administration Science Advisor
- Abstract: Lessons from my thesis advisor and the physics community shaped my career, including government service. I will share some experiences from my time at NSF and the White House that affect my views about how science and academia are being treated today. Finally, perhaps we can speculate on the question – can we save science in America?
- Host: Chun Lin