AIQIS NRT Workshop 2026

26 Sept 2026, 08:40 → 27 Sept 2026, 21:15 US/Central

NRC 106 (Stillwater, OK)

Joe Haley (Oklahoma State University (US)), Julius De Rojas, Thomas Bilitewski (Oklahoma State University), Yingmei Liu (Oklahoma State University)

Participate survey: https://okstateches.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aXKkWQ2JMfwwxDg  

 

Group Photo 1

Group Photo 2

All Photos [cern.ch/aiqis2026photos]

 

Full Program [PDF]

 

The AIQIS Workshop is organized as part of Oklahoma State University’s NSF Research Traineeship program in Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Information Science. It brings together students and researchers to explore artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and their applications across physics. Through invited talks and student posters, the workshop aims to encourage interdisciplinary discussion, collaboration, and new connections. AIQIS NRT Homepage [https://cas.okstate.edu/physics/aiqis] 

 

Maps

• Noble Research Center (NRC)
• Student Union
• Atherton Hotel
• Campus Maps Webpage

Parking on campus is free on weekends, unless specifically marked.

AIQIS Logo - 2a1 final.png

AIQIS-NRT-Workshop_Program.pdf

Saturday 26 September

08:45 → 12:30 Morning Session

Convener: Yingmei Liu (Oklahoma State University)

08:50 → 09:00 VPR Opening remarks

09:00 → 10:00 AI and Quantum Information for Scientific Discovery: Toward Convergent Intelligence in Physics

Artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum information science (QIS) are transforming the way physics is conducted, from experimental design and data acquisition to simulation, inference, and discovery. While recent advances are often viewed through the lens of increasingly powerful algorithms or computing platforms, a broader shift is underway. Progress is increasingly driven by the coordinated development of models, hardware, software, data resources, instruments, and human expertise, giving rise to an emerging paradigm: convergent intelligence.
In this talk, I will introduce AI and QIS and discuss how they are reshaping modern physics through applications ranging from real-time data reduction, detector reconstruction to simulation, uncertainty-aware inference, and scientific discovery. I will then explore emerging connections between AI and quantum information science, including machine learning for quantum systems, quantum-enhanced algorithms, and new computational architectures inspired by physical principles.

Speaker: Mark Neubauer (Univ. Illinois at Urbana Champaign (US))

Neubauer AIQIS Overview

10:00 → 10:45 Quantum dynamics with 1D gases

1D gases with point contact interactions are integrable many-body systems, which means that they have many extra conserved quantities, beyond the usual few (energy, momentum, etc.). I will explain integrability in more detail and then show how we make bundles of 1D Bose gases in the lab, the various ways we excite them out of equilibrium, and how we use them as model systems for studying quantum dynamics.

Speaker: David Weiss (Penn State)

10:45 → 11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 → 11:45 Topotactically Transforming Perovskite Oxides for Electrochemical Transistors

Electrochemical transistors combine conventional transistor function with low-power voltage-driven ionic motion, creating exciting opportunities for applications such as alternative computing paradigms (neuromorphic and stochastic), voltage-tunable photonics, magneto-ionics, and thermal switching. Certain oxide materials have recently emerged as attractive platforms for electrochemical transistors, as electric fields can be used to controllably and reversibly reduce and oxidize them. In perovskite cobaltites, this voltage driven redox leads to reversible topotactic phase transformations between disordered perovskite phases and oxygen-vacancy-ordered brownmillerite phases, generating very large property modulations. In this presentation, I will summarize our group’s recent work focused on understanding these voltage-driven topotactic phase transformations [1-8], using them for wide-range modulation of electronic [1,3,6,8], magnetic [1,3,6,8], thermal [4], and optical properties [5,7], and, most recently, addressing the primary remaining roadblocks to applications, specifically endurance [7] and speed [8].
1. J. Walter, G. Yu, B. Yu, A. Grutter, B. Kirby, J. Borchers, Z. Zhang, H. Zhou, T. Birol, M. Greven, and C. Leighton, Phys. Rev. Mater. Rapid Comm. 1, 071403(R) (2017).
2. C. Leighton, Nat. Mater. 18, 13 (2019).
3. V. Chaturvedi, W. Postiglione, R. Chakraborty, B. Yu, W. Tabis, S. Hameed, N. Biniskos, A. Jacobson, Z. Zhang, H. Zhou, V. Ferry, M. Greven and C. Leighton, ACS Appl. Mater. Interf. 13, 51205 (2021).
4. Y. Zhang, W.M. Postiglione, R. Xie, C. Zhang, V. Chaturvedi, K. Heltemes, H. Zhou, T. Feng, C. Leighton and X. Wang, Nat. Commun. 14, 2626 (2023).
5. R.D. Chakraborty, W.M. Postiglione, S. Ghosh, K.A. Mkhoyan, C. Leighton and V.E. Ferry, Adv. Opt. Mater. 2300098 (2023).
6. W.M. Postiglione, G. Yu, V. Chaturvedi, H. Zhou, K. Heltemes, A. Jacobson, M. Greven and C. Leighton, ACS Appl. Mater. & Interf. 16, 19184 (2024).
7. R.D. Chakraborty, J. Liang, T.A. Fasasi, K. Stoerzinger, C. Leighton, and V.E. Ferry, ACS Nano 19, 17627 (2025).
8. J. Liang, W.M. Postiglione, M. Van Someren, N. Nandakumaran, B. W. Jeong, C.D. Frisbie, and C. Leighton, ACS Nano 19, 27782 (2025).

Speaker: Chris Leighton (University of Minnesota)

11:45 → 12:30 Matter Wave Interferometry for Quantum Sensing and Simulation

Coherent manipulation and interference of matter waves using periodic optical potentials as atom optics tools open up a range of scientific possibilities in quantum sensing and simulation. In one set of studies, we will discuss trapped and free-space atom interferometry experiments with Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) for quantum sensing of forces and accelerometry. In particular, we will report on two results of value for next generation quantum sensors: second-long coherence times in trapped BEC interferometry and demonstration of phase-stable “magic” depth interferometry, a technique inspired by analogies with quantum transport in periodic solid-state potentials. We will also present experimental results on the periodic application of sharp “delta-kick” standing wave optical lattice pulses (quantum kicked rotor) on interacting bosons and fermions. We use this system with BECs to simulate the Anderson transport model in the presence of interactions and in variable dimensions, observing the onset of interaction-driven delocalization. With strongly-interacting fermions, we see the onset of pairing and study many-body effects in the multi-path interference signatures of the quantum kicked rotor.

Speaker: Subhadeep Gupta (University of Washington, Seattle)

12:30 → 13:30 Lunch

13:30 → 15:00 Afternoon Session I

Convener: Thomas Bilitewski

13:30 → 14:15 Quantum simulation with trapped ions and cold atoms

Quantum simulation is one of the pillars of Quantum Revolution 2.0. In analog quantum simulation, one uses a relatively simple and controllable quantum system to simulate a more complicated one, hence gaining valuable insights into the latter which are otherwise difficult to obtain. In recent years, AMO (atomic, molecular and optical) systems, which are amenable for exquisite control, have emerged as an powerful platform for quantum simulation. In this talk, I will use a few examples to show how trapped ions and cold atoms can be used to simulate exciton transfer models and quantum many-body physics that are of relevance to real materials.

Speaker: Han Pu (Rice University)

14:15 → 15:00 A 98-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer

Trapped-ion quantum processors provide a leading platform for quantum computation due to their high-fidelity operations and reconfigurable connectivity. Scaling system size while maintaining uniform performance, however, remains a central challenge for realizing fault-tolerant quantum computation. We present Helios, a 98-qubit trapped-ion quantum computer based on an advanced quantum charge-coupled device (QCCD) architecture designed to combine novel ion transport with high-precision quantum control. Helios utilizes hyperfine qubits encoded in 137Ba+ ions and integrates multiple quantum operation regions connected through a junction transport network and rotatable storage ring, enabling flexible ion rearrangement and all-to-all connectivity. System characterization demonstrates average single-qubit gate fidelity of 2.5(1)×10−5, two-qubit gate fidelity of 7.9(2)×10−4 ,and state-preparation-and-measurement (SPAM) error of 7.9(2)×10−4, maintained across operational zones. These performance levels support deep circuit execution together with mid-circuit measurement and feedforward required for quantum error correction. Beyond the component level benchmarks, system level benchmarks including mirror benchmarking, binary randomized benchmarking and random circuit sampling are characterized. We show that simulating the results of the random circuit sampling is far beyond the ability of modern supercomputers. These results demonstrate that the QCCD approach enables simultaneous scaling of qubit number and operational fidelity, establishing a practical pathway toward large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing with trapped ions.

Speaker: Tony Ransford (Quantinuum Inc.)

15:00 → 15:10 Group Photo

15:10 → 16:30 Poster Presentations

15:10 Automated 1H NMR Metabolite Profiling through Fitting-Based Library Screening, Deep Learning, and Global Spectral Optimization

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is widely used in metabolomics because metabolites produce characteristic spectral fingerprints, but automated interpretation of complex one-dimensional 1H NMR spectra remains difficult because of peak overlap, chemical-shift variability, intensity differences, and large reference libraries. Here, we present NMRCID, an integrated workflow combining spectral screening, deep learning, global spectral fitting, and concentration analysis for automated metabolite profiling. Using an experimental mixture containing 15 known compounds, spectral screening reduced a reference library of approximately 660 compounds to 27 candidates. These candidates were further filtered using a pseudo-Siamese convolutional neural network (pSCNN) with quorum-based prediction to distinguish compounds present in the mixture from spectrally similar candidates. The selected compounds were subsequently refined by global spectral fitting, in which peak positions, intensities, widths, and line shapes were optimized against the experimental spectrum. The optimized compound-specific spectral components were then used for concentration determination. Application of the complete workflow to sourdough fermentation spectra identified 52 compounds, including 30 from the aliphatic region and 22 from the aromatic region, of which 10 were further verified using two-dimensional TOCSY and HSQC. NMRCID integrates large-library reduction, deep-learning-based identification, global spectral refinement, and concentration analysis, thereby reducing manual interpretation and supporting consistent compound-level analysis of complex 1H NMR metabolomics data.

Speaker: Masrur Akhter (Oklahoma State University)

15:11 Measuring Quantum Entanglement with Machine learning at the LHC

This poster explores the use of machine learning to optimize quantum entanglement measurements at the LHC. AI-driven kinematic reconstruction is used to differentiate entanglement signatures in top-quark events from the ATLAS experiment.

Speaker: Derrick Allen (Oklahoma State University (US))

15:12 Growth and Characterization of (111) – Oriented SrRuO3/SrTiO3 Superlattices via Pulsed Laser Depoosition

The Synthesis of superlattices along the (111)-orientation axis of SrRuO₃/SrTiO₃ superlattices introduces allows geometric frustration engineering of the active layers, modifying orbital overlap and potentially enabling access to Chern insulating states and anomalous ground states in 4d transition metal oxides. For this work, ruthenate superlattices are were grown via pulsed laser deposition, targeting symmetry-driven topological phases predicted in buckled honeycomb and dice lattices in the ruthenates. The films are characterized via X-Ray dDiffraction, atomic force microscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, and synchrotron-based ARPES. ARPES allows us to probe the buried interfaces and resolve momentum-resolved band dispersions. Our measurements aim to benchmark DFT theoretical predictions and identify perturbative routes —strain, doping, layer thickness—to stabilize topological order. This work advances. geometrical engineering of oxide heterostructures and provides empirical insight into the emergence of symmetry-protected phases relevant to quantum information platforms. The results will inform design principles for high-temperature topological states and lossless edge conduction in complex oxide systems.

Speaker: Margaret Andersen (Oklahoma State University)

15:13 A Joint Theory-Experiment Investigation of Steady-State Synchronization in Effective Spin-1 System

Understanding and characterizing the steady-state synchronization in dissipative quantum systems induced by external driving fields is vital for the advancement of quantum technologies. This work presents a joint theoretical and experimental study of steady-state synchronization of an effective spin-1 system, realized using 87Rb atoms loaded into a magneto-optical trap. Control and probe fields that address the D2 transition realize both effective coherent coupling and effective dissipative pathways in the F=1 hyperfine ground states [1]. Additional dissipative processes are realized by coupling to the D1 line. To extract the steady-state synchronization encoded in the atomic coherences, we apply a retrieval pulse after a variable hold time and analyze the retrieved signal [2,3]. Building on Ref. [2], we use a polariton picture-based protocol to extract the drive-induced steady-state synchronization. The protocol is validatedthrough numerical simulations by self-consistently solving a set of coupled Maxwell–Bloch equations, which account for the interplay between the atomic and field degrees of freedom. Comparisons between theory and experiment are presented.
[1] X. Molenda, S. Zhong, B. Viswanathan, X. Li, Y. Yan, A. M. Marino, and D. Blume, arXiv:2510.27472 (2025).
[2] A. W. Laskar, P. Adhikary, S. Mondal, P. Katiyar, S. Vinjanampathy, and S. Ghosh, Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 013601(2020).
[3] S. Zhong, A. J. Sudler, D. Blume, and A. M. Marino, Phys. Rev. A113, 013103 (2026).

Speaker: Tran Duong Anh-Tai (Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Quantum Research and Technology, The University of Oklahoma)

15:14 Lattice-enabled detection of spin-dependent three-body interactions

By controllably quenching lattice-confined spinor gases, we experimentally detect coherent three-body interactions, which are often masked by stronger two-body effects, through the induced nonequilibrium spin dynamics. The three-body spin-dependent interaction strengths are precisely extracted via real-time and frequency domain analyses of the observed quench-induced non-equilibrium spin dynamics. Our results demonstrate that the inclusion of the three-body interactions is critical to accurately determine the atom number distribution in lattices with potential applications in quantum sensing via spin singlets. The presented techniques offer a promising avenue for future studies of higher-body interactions with broad relevance to strongly-interacting quantum systems and can be directly applied in other atomic species.

Speaker: J.O. Austin-Harris (Oklahoma State University)

15:15 Scalable spin-nematic squeezing in multi-level dipole-interacting Rydberg atom arrays

We study the generation of metrologically useful entanglement in a three-level (spin-1) system. We consider all-to-all interactions to elucidate the squeezing mechanism and then demonstrate it’s effectiveness for dipolar interactions, which can be realized in arrays of dipole-interacting Rydberg atoms confined in optical tweezers. We consider a generalized spin-squeezing parameter capturing the metrological gain for general linear SU (3) measurements. In certain parameter regimes, the three level system reduces to an effective SU (2) system realizing one-axis twisting dynamics. Crucially, our results demonstrate a real advantage of utilizing the full three level SU (3) structure of the spin-1 system over SU (2) type one-axis twisting dynamics. Our results constitute a first theoretical step beyond the well-studied qubit setting toward scalable entanglement generation in qudit systems with dipolar interactions, and a starting point for realizations in current Rydberg tweezer experiments.

Speaker: Sakshi Bahamnia (University of Oklahoma)

15:16 Use of Invariants in Master Equations

Lewis-Riesenfeld (or dynamical) invariants are powerful tools in quantum control, enabling protocols such as shortcuts to adiabaticity and accelerated equilibration that remain resilient against environmental noise. Inherently tied to the underlying symmetry of a system, these constants of motion offer profound mathematical insight into the evolution of arbitrarily driven quantum systems. However, formulating nontrivial invariants becomes increasingly more difficult with the size of the Hilbert space. To address this, we provide a systematic route to construct dynamical invariants for n-level systems (n≥3) by applying algebraic considerations to classify the Hamiltonian's symmetry algebra. Utilizing the generators of this algebra to construct the invariants, we then derive microscopic, Redfield-based master equations for driven dissipative quantum systems. This approach systematically bypasses the driving-strength restrictions inherent to conventional master equation derivations, which typically either neglect the driving field entirely or rely on secular approximations. Finally, we utilize this invariant-based master equation to obtain analytical solutions under specific conditions, providing a comprehensive framework to explore the dynamics and to evaluate steady-state observables such as fluorescence spectra.
This work was supported by awards from the W. M. Keck Foundation and the AFOSR.

Speaker: Sagarika Basak (Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Quantum Research and Technology, The University of Oklahoma)

15:17 VBF Higgs Pileup Mitigation

This poster presents advanced machine learning techniques for pileup mitigation in Vector Boson Fusion (VBF) Higgs boson production. Using high-luminosity proton-proton collision data from the ATLAS detector at the LHC, we deploy AI-driven algorithms to suppress combinatorial pileup backgrounds to improve the reconstruction of VBF Higgs events.

Speaker: Trenton Buckley (Oklahoma State University)

15:18 Pulsed Stimulated Forces for Laser Cooling

The miniaturization of laser cooled atomic sensors is limited by the weak spontaneous force used. In this work we will present our progress on the use of Pulsed Stimulated Forces (PSF) to improve upon earlier methods utilizing the bichromatic force. Pulses will be generated using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and pulse-to-pulse phase inversions will be explored.

Speaker: John Van Butcher (Georgia Tech)

15:19 Universal and Engineered Spin Squeezing in Long-Range Quantum Systems

Spin squeezing provides a route to metrologically useful many-body entanglement, but finite-range interactions introduce noncollective excitations that can qualitatively modify the dynamics. We investigate how long-range interactions and Hamiltonian engineering control a dynamical transition between fully collective (Heisenberg-limited squeezing) and partially collective (multimode squeezing). Combining Bogoliubov spin-wave analysis with discrete truncated Wigner simulations, we connect the microscopic interaction spectrum to the phase boundary, finite-size scaling, and achievable squeezing. The instability spectrum provides an efficient predictor of the dynamical regime, while nonlinear simulations determine the resulting metrological performance. Our results reveal scaling behavior that remains robust under substantial microscopic changes and demonstrate that engineered interactions can be used to control both the squeezing phase and its system-size dependence. This framework provides general design principles for scalable entanglement generation in programmable quantum simulators.

Speaker: Lucas Cartwright (Oklahoma State University)

15:20 Gap protected scalable squeezing with finite-range interacting multi-level spins

We demonstrate a general mechanism to generate scalable, metrologically useful entanglement in the form of generalized spin squeezing in multi-level (qudit) spin systems with finite-range or power-law interactions. We demonstrate this for spin-changing dynamics, extending the physics of spin-nematic squeezing known from spinor BECs to spatially extended lattice geometries. In the absence of all-to-all connectivity, the dynamics generally suffers from leakage into non-collective finite-momentum modes, destroying Heisenberg scaling. We show that introducing local su(D) exchange interactions establishes an energy gap that protects the fully symmetric collective manifold, suppressing non-collective excitations. We provide an analytical understanding of the mechanism via the analysis of the Bogoliubov excitation spectrum, and demonstrate it’s effectiveness via numerical simulations of the quantum many-body dynamics. Our findings more broadly apply to other spin- squeezing Hamiltonians, and directly generalize to larger internal spin dimensions. Our results provide a practical pathway towards scalable entanglement generation in experimental platforms such as arrays of (polar) molecules and Rydberg atoms realizing multi-level spin systems.

Speaker: Sagar Chaudhary (Oklahoma State University)

15:21 Dynamical Fermionization in a lattice

Nearly integrable one-dimensional gases have been widely used as an experimental platform to study many-body systems in and out of equilibrium. Prominent among the many properties that have been measured in these systems is the distribution of rapidities, which are the momenta of the quasiparticles that describe the interacting gas. In the strongly interacting (Tonks-Girardeau) regime, the rapidity distribution is the same as the momentum distribution of non-interacting fermions, and its measurement is called dynamical fermionization. In this new work, we have added a 1D optical lattice to an array of 1D Bose gases and studied analogous quasi-rapidity distributions. In the strongly interacting regime, we observe dynamical fermionization in a lattice, which becomes qualitatively different from the free space case as the average site occupation approaches one. The presence of the 1D lattice lifts the integrability of the system for intermediate coupling strengths. We are studying how this changes rapidity and measured quasi-rapidity distributions, in and out of equilibrium.

Speaker: Khush Dave (Pennsylvania State University)

15:22 Nonequilibrium Universality of a Squeezing Phase Transition

We investigate phase transitions in the nonequilibrium dynamics of power-law interacting spin-1/2 bilayer XXZ models, which have recently been shown to allow generation of entanglement in the form of two-mode squeezing. We find a transition between a phase characterized by Heisenberg-limited squeezing and a partially collective phase. We identify universal scaling of the squeezing dynamics in terms of system parameters and a divergent time-scale, establishing these as distinct dynamical phases. Our work demonstrates a novel dynamical phase transition with potential applications in quantum sensing and quantum simulation in cold-atomic, molecular, or Rydberg platforms.

Speaker: Arman Duha (Oklahoma State University)

15:23 Progress toward a Strontium Qudit Array for Quantum Control and Metrology

Optical tweezer arrays provide a versatile platform for neutral-atom quantum computing and sensing by enabling precise control of individual atoms [1]. Bosonic strontium is particularly attractive due to its rich electronic structure and applications in atom interferometry, optical clocks, quantum simulation, and quantum computing. We present recent progress toward the realization of a strontium qudit array and discuss techniques for trapping and manipulating single atoms in optical tweezers.

Speaker: Jason Gordon (Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Quantum Research and Technology, The University of Oklahoma)

15:24 Application of Four-photon Superposition to Noise-Resistant Quantum Imaging

We show that four-photon quantum states generated by two independent sources can be used to create a two-photon interference pattern without detecting two of the four photons. In contrast to standard two-photon interference, this interference pattern does not depend on the tunable spatially independent interferometric phase. Furthermore, the patterns contain information of any spatially dependent phase introduced to the undetected photons. This phenomenon paves the path of a conceptually new quantum imaging technique that (1) allows image acquisition without detecting the photons probing an object, and (2) is immune to the time-dependent fluctuations of the interferometric phase. Further details can be found in Ref. [1].
[1] C. Tarrant and M. Lahiri, Phys. Rev. Res. 8, 033210 (2026)
Acknowledgement: The research is supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) under Award No. N00014-23-1-2778.

Speaker: Dibyendu Jana (Oklahoma State University)

15:25 Progress towards generating a 3D cluster state via cold atom collisions in a 3D optical lattice

Cluster states are robust, many-body entangled states with a host of interesting features that we intend to study. We are working to create a 3D cluster state of atoms in a 3D optical lattice by employing collisional entangling gates. The idea is to start with a nearly full 3D array of cesium atoms in their vibrational ground state and use controlled cold collisions to entangle each atom with all of its nearest neighbors. The collisions are enabled by state-dependent motion, in which the |F=3, mF=+3> and |F=3, mF=-3> states move in opposite directions as we rotate the polarization of one of our lattice arms. We have been studying this state-dependent motion in detail, with the goal of optimally transporting the two states for controlled cold collisions.

Speaker: Mritunjay K. Joshi (Pennsylvania State University)

15:26 Field Driven Emergent Dynamics in Randomly Oriented Nanomagnet Networks for Reservoir Computing

The emergence of artificial intelligence has created an exponentially increasing energy demand on conventional computing structures, motivating research into energy-efficient materials and devices that can process information using the intrinsic emergent dynamics of physical systems. Magnetic systems are particularly attractive because their collective behavior can provide nonlinear computation without requiring energy-inefficient conventional digital processing at every step. Here, we investigate the behavior of randomly oriented nanoislands driven by a rotating magnetic field using micromagnetic simulations. The changing field direction continuously modifies the magnetic energy landscape and produces nonlinear, history-dependent magnetization dynamics. We exploit these dynamics for physical reservoir computing using the collective magnetization as the reservoir state. Parallel, perpendicular, and combined magnetization components are evaluated for the Mackey–Glass time-series prediction task. The rotating-field reservoir outperforms fixed-direction excitation, particularly at longer prediction horizons, while combining the two magnetization components further reduces the prediction error. These results demonstrate that controlling magnetic energy through field orientation provides a promising route toward tunable, energy-efficient, and reconfigurable magnetic reservoirs for neuromorphic computing

Speaker: Kamal Khanal (Oklahoma State University)

15:27 Coupling Between Rotational and Vibrational Degrees of Freedom in Van Der Waals Dimers

In many molecules, the scales of the rotational energies and vibrational energies are vastly different. This justifies treating the two degrees of freedom separately. However, in the case of molecules that are bound weakly by van der Waals forces, the vibrational energy scale may not be much larger than the rotational energy scale. Motivated by this, we theoretically investigate the coupling between the rotational and vibrational degrees of freedom within the context of pump-probe dynamics (i.e., for short intense laser pulses). Using the He-Ne and Ne-Ne dimer as an example, we apply a Gaussian laser pulse and monitor how the inclusion of the radial degree of freedom impacts the dynamics of the angular or rotational degrees of freedom. Results for the wave packet dynamics are also shown for non-Gaussian pulse shapes.

Speaker: Lennon Kirby (Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Quantum Research and Technology, The University of Oklahoma)

15:28 Using AI to Search for Exotic Heavy Quarks at ATLAS

We present a search for six-, eight-, and ten-top-quark final states from the pair production of a hypothetical vector-like top partner , (t'), at the LHC. These events are difficult to analyze with traditional methods because they contain many jets, (b)-jets, leptons, and boosted objects, but that same complexity makes them a natural target for machine learning. Building on previous work that used convolutional neural networks for boosted-top tagging and top-partner mass reconstruction, we explore how neural networks can be used to separate multi-top signals from Standard Model backgrounds and extract information from the full event topology such as m_{t'} . Our goal is to highlight the performance boost AI-based techniques can have on improving sensitivity to these rare signatures and help extend searches for physics beyond the Standard Model into regions that are challenging for conventional cut-based analyses.

Speaker: Nathan Vincent May (Oklahoma State University (US))

15:29 Collective Spin-Wave Dynamics in Periodic Nanowire Chains

Future information technologies will require low-power, high-frequency, and reconfigurable RF hardware. Patterned magnetic nanostructures offer a compelling platform for these applications because their collective spin dynamics can be controlled through interfacial interactions, geometric structure, and material composition. We present a combined experimental and micromagnetic study of high-frequency collective spin-wave (magnon) dynamics in periodically arranged Permalloy (Ni80Fe20) nanowire chains. Nanowire segments with a rounded stadium geometry are fabricated by electron-beam lithography and arranged end-to-end along their shape-anisotropy easy axis, forming one-dimensional periodic chains separated by nonmagnetic gaps. Scanning electron microscopy is used to characterize the fabricated structures, while broadband ferromagnetic resonance measurements probe their collective dynamics with the bias field applied both parallel and perpendicular to the chain axis. These measurements are compared directly with GPU-accelerated micromagnetic simulations of the same geometry. Field- and frequency-swept measurements track the evolution of the collective resonances, while spatially resolved micromagnetic mode profiles distinguish localized single-wire excitations from chain-wide in-phase and out-of-phase modes. We find good agreement between measured and simulated resonance fields and observe systematic changes in inter-wire coupling, mode splitting, and collective-mode bandwidth as the nanowire dimensions and inter-wire spacing are varied. In particular, increasing the gap weakens the coupling between neighboring nanowires and modifies the separation of the collective modes. Building on this baseline system, we also investigate nanowires with a magnetization gradient through their thickness, which introduces asymmetric dipolar interactions and enables nonreciprocal spin-wave propagation. These results demonstrate how geometry and magnetic asymmetry can be used to control collective magnonic excitations, establishing periodic nanowire chains as a tunable and lithographically accessible platform for engineering magnonic band structure and nonreciprocal high-frequency response.

Speaker: Batuel Naba (Oklahoma State University)

15:30 Pileup Mitigation at the HL-LHC Using Transformer Regression Task Update

The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) at CERN will produce unprecedented datasets capable of revealing fundamental properties of the universe. However, realizing its discovery potential faces a significant challenge: extracting small signal fractions from overwhelming backgrounds dominated by approximately 200 simultaneous pileup collisions. This extreme noise severely distorts the physical observables required for accurate reconstruction. To address this, we introduce the Physics-Guided Hypergraph Transformer (PhyGHT), a hybrid architecture that combines distance-aware local graph attention with global self-attention to mirror the physical topology of particle showers formed in protonproton collisions. Crucially, we integrate a Pileup Suppression Gate (PSG), an interpretable, physics-constrained mechanism that explicitly learns to filter soft noise prior to hypergraph aggregation. To validate our approach, we release a novel simulated dataset of top-quark pair production to model extreme pileup conditions. PhyGHT outperforms state-of-the-art baselines from the ATLAS and CMS experiments in predicting the signal’s energy and mass correction factors. By accurately reconstructing the top quark’s invariant mass, we demonstrate how machine learning innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration can directly advance scientific discovery at the frontiers of experimental physics and enhance the HL-LHC’s discovery potential. The dataset and code are available at https://github.com/rAIson-Lab/PhyGHT.

Speaker: Shivang Satish Patel (Oklahoma State University (US))

15:31 Antiferromagnetic spinor gases in bichromatic superlattices

We experimentally investigate antiferromagnetic spinor gases confined in a bichromatic superlattice constructed by imposing a blue-detuned lattice along a horizontal direction of a red-detuned monochromatic cubic lattice. The observed rich phase space diagram induced by the bichromatic superlattice is compared to mean-field theory predictions. For inhomogeneous lattice systems, optical superlattices have been proposed as a way to dynamically manipulate the atom number distribution. For example, the n=1 Mott lobe could be eliminated through merging neighboring lattice sites by shutting off the blue-detuned lattice after localizing the atoms in individual double-well lattice sites. We plan to apply this method to increase the fraction of atoms that can potentially form many-body spin singlet states, in which multiple spin components of zero total spin are naturally entangled and have promising applications in quantum metrology and quantum memories.

Speaker: Nathan Rago (Oklahoma State University)

15:32 Hierarchical Design of High Surface Area Zinc Oxide Nanomaterials Using One-Dimensional Nanostructures for Future AI Hardware

In this study, a novel device structure is used to fabricate a memristive network for use in brain-inspired neuromorphic computing systems. Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is an excellent material for the fabrication of resistive switching memristors. As a wide band gap (3.37eV) semiconductor material, ZnO is a popular choice for the fabrication of optically tuned memristors. The oxygen vacancies present in the zinc oxide play a crucial role in the high conductive ON state and the low-conductivity OFF state when changing the direction of current input. ZnO nananorodsrown on the silica nanosprings not only provide mechanical stability but also increase the number of oxygen vacancies. The ZnO nanorods grown on silica nanosprings, sandwiched between the two gold electrodes work as a route for the movement of oxygen vacancies. In the context of neuromorphic computing, the gold electrodes act as a presynaptic and a postsynaptic regions of neurons, while ZnO nanorods act as synapses.

Speaker: Sharad Puri (Oklahoma State University)

15:33 Interferometric Approach to Quantum Process Tomography for High-Dimensional Photonic Systems

Quantum process tomography aims to fully characterize an unknown operation performed on a quantum state. For photonics systems, all conventional approaches require detection of the photon on which the operation acted. Using a quantum interferometric approach, namely interference by path identity (Rev. Mod. Phys. 94, 025007), we propose a scheme to fully reconstruct high-dimensional quantum operations without performing any measurement on the transformed state. Our method employs a two-photon state entangled in the orbital angular momentum (OAM). The unknown operation is applied to one of the photons; this photon is not detected. The information about the unknown operation is retrieved from a set of single-photon interference patterns obtained by detecting the other photon; the operation never acted on this photon. Our method applies to both unitary and non-unitary transformations [1,2]. For photonic states, adequate single-photon detectors are not available for a wide spectral range. Our method is advantageous in cases where the transformed photonic state is challenging or impossible to detect.
[1] Rajeev, S., & Lahiri, M., Optics Letters, 51(4), 853 (2026).
[2] Rajeev, S., & Lahiri, M., arXiv preprint arXiv:2608.02490 (2026) (submitted).
Acknowledgement: The research was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under grant FA9550-23-1-0216.

Speaker: Salini Rajeev (Oklahoma State University)

15:34 Time-resolved Detection of Spin-spatial-coupling-induced Dynamical Phase Transitions

We present a method to extract information about spin-dependent interactions and relative spinor phases from the observed spin population dynamics. This method can be applied to systems experiencing unknown time-dependent interactions and is robust to initial estimates for the interactions. Our results demonstrate time-resolved detection of dynamical phase transitions via the relative spinor phase and the system energy in spinor gases subject to a variety of experimental sequences. By informing our theoretical predictions with the extracted interactions, the observed nonequilibrium spin dynamics tuned by intricate spatial dynamics in a moving-lattice system can be well described over a wide range of conditions. This suggests that similar techniques could be applied to more thoroughly analyze other complex systems subject to time-dependent parameters, e.g., Floquet systems subject to periodically driven quadratic Zeeman energy, interactions, or spin-flopping fields.

Speaker: Zachary Spangler (Oklahoma State University)

15:35 Polarizability calculations for one- and two-electron atoms

Atomic polarizabilities are central to understanding how atoms interact with external electromagnetic fields. They determine the strength of the field-induced energy shifts and can thus be used to create position-dependent energy shifts, which then act as position-dependent trapping potentials for neutral atoms. We report on our progress toward calculating polarizabilities of one valence electron atoms (alkali atoms) as well as polarizabilities of two valence electron atoms such as strontium. We determine polarizabilities of both hyperfine ground states and Rydberg states.

Speaker: Jackson Stoppel (Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Quantum Research and Technology, The University of Oklahoma)

15:36 Motional Effects of Rydberg Dressing in an Entangled Two-Atom Interferometer

We study a two-atom light-pulse atom interferometer with short Rydberg-dressing pulses inserted at intermediate times in a Mach-Zehnder sequence. In the symmetric dressing regime, where the single-atom phase shifts echo out, the Rydberg-mediated interaction realizes a Mølmer-Sørensen (MS) quantum gate and can generate a Bell state. We show that the van der Waals interaction between Rydberg atoms can also induce a branch-dependent displacement between the two even- parity interferometer arms, introducing a motional overlap factor that governs the output phase and Bell-state coherence. To investigate these motional effects of Rydberg dressing on the entangled MS gate, we develop a paired neutral-atom array as an experimental platform. These results provide a framework linking Rydberg-dressed interferometry with the experimental tools needed for future neutral-atom entanglement and matter-wave interferometry studies.

Speaker: Hanbo Yang (University of Oklahoma)

15:37 Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism and Size-Driven Magnetic States in High-Entropy Alloy Nanoparticles

High-entropy alloys (HEAs), composed of multiple principal elements within a chemically disordered lattice, offer a broad compositional space for tuning magnetic interactions and functionality at the nanoscale. However, realizing robust room-temperature ferromagnetism while maintaining a compositionally homogeneous, single-phase HEA remains challenging, as many HEA nanostructures exhibit magnetic ordering primarily at low temperatures, while room-temperature magnetism can be complicated by phase separation. Here, we show that compositionally homogeneous, single-phase FeNiCoCrCu nanoparticles fabricated by pulsed laser-induced dewetting (PLiD) retain robust ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. Temperature-dependent magnetization measurements establish the persistence of ferromagnetic order to room temperature, motivating a closer examination of how the magnetic states evolve with particle size. Room-temperature MOKE measurements reveal a pronounced, nonmonotonic evolution of coercivity and remanence across particle sizes from 30 to 125 nm, indicating distinct magnetization-reversal regimes. FORC analysis resolves the underlying irreversible switching processes, revealing a progression from predominantly single-domain-like reversal at smaller sizes to vortex-mediated reversal at intermediate sizes and increasingly complex reversal at larger sizes. Micromagnetic simulations reproduce both single-domain and vortex configurations at low exchange stiffness, supporting the experimentally inferred magnetic-state evolution and highlighting the competition among exchange, anisotropy, and magnetostatic energies. Together, these results establish FeNiCoCrCu HEA nanoparticles as a compositionally homogeneous room-temperature ferromagnetic nanosystem in which magnetic states and reversal pathways can be tailored through particle size, providing a foundation for composition- and size-engineered magnetic nanostructures with controllable switching behavior for future spintronic applications.

Speaker: Mehran Yasir (Oklahoma State University)

15:38 Mean-field and Ab Initio Study of Spin-1 Bosons

We investigate the non-equilibrium spin dynamics of spin-1 bosons confined in a one-dimensional harmonic trap. The system includes Zeeman sub-level splitting induced by a uniform magnetic field and features both spin- preserving and spin-changing collisions. A central focus of this work is a comparative analysis between exact ab initio results, obtained using a configuration interaction approach for N -boson systems with N = 2−12, and the mean-field description of a spin-1 BEC, obtained by solving the spinor Gross-Pitaevskii equation. We identify distinct regimes within the parameter space considered, explicitly demarcating regions where the single-mode approximation (SMA), the mean-field description, and the exact configuration interaction results agree/disagree. Specifically, we identify regions where the SMA fails but the mean-field description is reliable as well as strongly correlated regimes where the mean-field description breaks down and intricate spin-mixing processes, driven by quantum fluctuations, are only captured by the fully correlated configuration interaction framework. We analyze the scaling of the configuration interaction results with N to establish the particle number threshold necessary to reach macroscopic behaviors.

Speaker: Asif Zia (University of Oklahoma)

15:39 Observation of Ergodicity Breaking and Quantum Many-Body Scars in Spinor Gases

Understanding how isolated quantum systems thermalize is a fundamental problem in quantum physics. We investigate ergodicity breaking and quantum many-body scars (QMBS) in a driven spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate. By varying the strength of an applied spin-flopping field, the system transitions from an integrable regime to weak ergodicity breaking and ultimately to thermal behavior. Selected initial states exhibit long-lived nonthermal dynamics while other states thermalize, providing signatures of QMBS. These results demonstrate that driven spinor condensates provide a controllable platform for studying thermalization, quantum many-body scars, and quantum scarring.

Speaker: Jeter Hood (Oklahoma State University)

15:40 Growth-Dependent Sr–Ru–O Coatings on Au–Si Mesopyramids for Bolometric Photodetection

Growth of Sr–Ru–O on a non-perovskite three-dimensional Au template produces strong condition-dependent phase selection and transport, and these coatings enable thermal-to-electrical photodetection.

Speaker: Ishwor Rana (Oklahoma State University)

15:41 Study of growth mechanism and electro optical measurements on Au Millipyramids

Au Millipyramids were synthesized from Au NP and Au/Si/Au tri-layers on scratched Silicon substrate by annealing at 700C and characterized using SEM and electro-optical measurements. Bias dependent response of Fraunhofer diffraction pattern revealed a spatial shift of diffraction pattern rather than expected intensity change. This unexpected response provides insight into the electro-optical behavior of Au Millipyramids.

Speaker: Aakriti Mehra (Oklahoma State University)

15:42 Computational Modeling of Radiation Damage for Enhanced Performance of Perovskite/CIGS Tandem Solar Cells

Perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells are very attractive for aerospace applications because of their lightweight and flexible properties when fabricated on thin-film substrates, their high power-to-weight potential, and their promising radiation tolerance in the space environment [1–17, 20–45, 265-280]. The radiation tolerance of these photovoltaic technologies has also been investigated not only under ground-based conditions but also under space conditions using small satellites [49, 276, 277]. In the space environment, solar cells and other electronic devices are continuously exposed to energetic particles, particularly protons and electrons, which can induce radiation damage. Non-ionizing radiation, which is responsible for atomic displacement damage within the crystal lattice, is particularly important in the inner Van Allen radiation belt near low-Earth orbit (LEO) and throughout the space environment during energetic solar events [62].

Speaker: Nuha Shouk (Oklahoma State University)

16:30 → 18:00 Afternoon Session II

Convener: Thomas Bilitewski (Oklahoma State University)

16:30 → 17:15 Quantum coherent metrology with neutral atom qubits

Neutral atom qubits have become a powerful platform for quantum information science, enabling precise control of individual atoms, scalable quantum architectures, and high-fidelity entanglement. These advances open new possibilities for quantum-enhanced metrology, ranging from application-inspired endeavors to foundational research at the intersection of quantum mechanics and gravity. In our experiments, we create arrays of individual cesium atoms using optical tweezers and introduce entangling interactions by promoting valence electrons to highly excited Rydberg orbitals, enabling tunable electric-dipole couplings. Our recent progress in controlling these arrays and generating entangled states will be highlighted, together with efforts to integrate these techniques with atom interferometry and the intelligent optimization of quantum control and entanglement generation. Such approaches offer pathways to sensitivities beyond the standard quantum limit and provide a framework for exploring the fundamental relationship between quantum resources and metrological performance. Ultimately, these experiments aim to establish a new generation of quantum-enhanced sensors in which entanglement, coherence, and controllable many-body dynamics provide access to measurement capabilities beyond classical limits.

Speaker: Grant Biedermann (University of Oklahoma)

17:15 → 18:00 Artificial Spin Ice Turns Twenty: A Brief History and New Directions

Since Philip Anderson’s “More Is Different”—or perhaps since Landau’s theory of quantum liquids—condensed-matter physicists have sought to understand the emergent behavior of complex matter, serendipitously discovered via experiment, by distilling it into the relevant collective degrees of freedom, symmetries, and interactions. What if we inverted this approach? Rather than construct Hamiltonians to explain unusual phenomena in natural materials, we could design artificial materials specifically to produce exotic emergent behaviors. This was the ambitious goal of artificial spin ice—arrays of interacting, geometrically frustrated magnetic nanoislands representing binary magnetic variables—when the field emerged in 2006. Since then, advances in nanofabrication and characterization have made possible the realization and observation of emergent magnetic monopoles, ordered magnetic-charge states, dimer models, string phases, and a wealth of other collective phenomena. We will briefly trace the development of the field and present recent results from collaborations with our partner groups at Princeton and Nanjing on nanomagnets exhibiting deliberate exotic collective behavior; at Tel Aviv on extending spin-ice concepts to mechanical metamaterials; with D-Wave on implementations in quantum simulators; with the University of Barcelona on application to magnetic colloids; and with CU Boulder on applications to liquid crystals.

Speaker: Cristiano Nisoli (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

18:30 → 20:30 Banquet Dinner

For all invited speakers and poster presenters, a workshop dinner will be hosted at the Starlight Terrace, located on the 4th floor of the OSU Student Union (Room 465).
Directions from Noble Research Center to Student Union

Sunday 27 September

09:00 → 12:15 Morning Session

Convener: Joe Haley (Oklahoma State University (US))

09:00 → 09:45 Quantum Sensing with Thermal Atomic Beams

Thermal atomic beam sensors on chip: integration prospects and related challenges

Speaker: Chandra Raman (Georgia Tech School of Physics)

09:45 → 10:30 Stochastic Bits: Harnessing Magnetic Dynamics for Natural Annealing and Energy-Efficient Neuromorphic Computing

Stochastic computational elements that naturally fluctuate between binary states offer a promising paradigm for energy-efficient probabilistic computing. In this talk, I will discuss how nanoscale magnetic tunnel junctions can be engineered to realize such stochasticity and exploit their intrinsic fluctuations for computation. I will first describe how networks of stochastic-bits can perform natural annealing, providing an energy-efficient hardware approach to solving challenging combinatorial optimization problems. I will then explore how the same stochastic dynamics can be harnessed to construct spiking neural networks in which randomness is an integral part of computation, enabling new approaches to energy-efficient neuromorphic and AI hardware. Together, these developments illustrate how device-level stochasticity, rather than being suppressed, can be harnessed as a computational resource for optimization and intelligent computing.

Speaker: Kaushik Roy (Purdue University)

10:30 → 10:45 Coffee Break

10:45 → 11:30 Building Blocks of Quantum Information Control with Neutral Atoms and Molecules

What if you could pick up an atom, move it around like a bead, and use it to store and process quantum information? In this talk, I will introduce how we apply lasers to trap, move, and control individual atoms and molecules, and how these simple building blocks can be assembled into powerful quantum processors.
We will begin with a simple question: what is quantum information, and what makes it different from the information in an ordinary computer? I will then show how optical traps and tweezers allow us to arrange atoms, bring them together, and control their interactions with remarkable precision. We can use the internal states of atoms as quantum bits, manipulate their quantum states with light, and even combine atoms to make molecules that bring new possibilities for storing and controlling quantum information.
Along the way, I will describe a few surprising discoveries that we stumbled upon. By changing the magnetic field and light around the atoms, we can dramatically change how they interact. And when two atoms react to form a molecule, the reaction itself can generate quantum entanglement, creating correlations that have no classical counterpart.

Speaker: Cheng Chin (University of Chicago)

11:30 → 12:15 Quantum engineering for revealing quantum signatures of proper time

Optical clocks based on atoms and ions probe relativistic effects with unparalleled sensitivity. By performing clock spectroscopy on a single ytterbium ion in a cryogenic environment we have full quantum control over all internal and external degrees of freedom and expect strongly improved coherence times. Together with employing quantum engineered motional ion states, this makes it possible to realize novel tests of relativity in a regime where superpositions of proper time emerge.

Speaker: Christian Sanner (Colorado State University)

12:15 → 13:15 Lunch

13:15 → 17:15 Afternoon Session

Convener: Julius De Rojas (Oklahoma State University)

13:15 → 14:00 Breaking Reciprocity with Spatiotemporal Metasurfaces: From Classical Waves to Quantum Light

Metasurfaces have transformed our ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves by engineering light–matter interactions within ultrathin, subwavelength structures. Conventional metasurfaces, however, are typically static and reciprocal, limiting their ability to dynamically control the flow of light. Introducing temporal modulation as an additional degree of freedom opens a fundamentally richer landscape. By simultaneously modulating spatial and temporal variations of a metasurface, one can manipulate not only the momentum but also the frequency of electromagnetic waves, enabling functionalities that are difficult or impossible to achieve with static photonic structures.
I will discuss our development of spatiotemporally modulated metasurfaces for dynamic and nonreciprocal control of electromagnetic waves both in classical and quantum regimes. I will introduce the underlying concepts of space–time modulation and show how traveling-wave modulation can break reciprocity without relying on conventional magnetic materials. Our work demonstrates how appropriately designed spatial and temporal modulation can produce direction-dependent frequency conversion, beam steering, and asymmetric wave propagation, providing a versatile platform for controlling the spectral and spatial properties of light.

Speaker: Abul Azad (Los Alamos National Laboratory)

14:00 → 14:45 Dynamics of open quantum systems: Spin synchronization and dynamic-invariant-based master equation

Reliable theoretical modeling of the dynamics of open quantum systems, such as an externally driven quantum system, is essential for the realization of quantum devices, quantum simulators, and quantum computers. This talk will discuss dissipation engineering in driven few-level systems and application thereof to spin synchronization of individual rubidium atoms in a MOT. This talk will also introduce a dynamic-invariant- or Lie-algebra-based master equation framework applicable to driven systems in which higher-order corrections are accounted for systematically. Application of this framework to a three-level system embedded in a cavity will be presented.

Speaker: Doerte Blume (Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy, Center for Quantum Research and Technology, The University of Oklahoma)

14:45 → 15:00 Coffee Break

15:00 → 15:45 Ultra-Fast & Autonomous: Bridging Real-Time AI and Agentic Discovery in Big-Data Physics

Extreme-data physics experiments require instantaneous decision-making at the hardware edge. As Director of the NSF A3D3 Institute, I present our advancements in uniting real-time, ultra-low-latency AI with autonomous, agentic systems. We showcase how hardware acceleration (FPGAs/ASICs) enables sub-microsecond inference for real-time filtering, anomaly detection, and data compression in high-rate environments like the HL-LHC. Beyond static inference, we demonstrate how agentic AI orchestrates these heterogeneous workflows—enabling adaptive instrument control, automated experiment optimization, and accelerated discovery across high-energy physics, astrophysics, and quantum systems.

Speaker: Shih-Chieh Hsu (University of Washington Seattle (US))

15:45 → 16:30 NRP & NAIRR: National AI Infrastructure for Graduate Research

The National Research Platform (NRP) and NAIRR provide graduate students with the resources to expand beyond their laptops or local compute infrastructure. The NRP is supported by over 80 institutions, providing students and researchers with access to advanced computing resources for AI and machine learning workflows. This talk will explore NAIRR Pilot projects and allocations that provide additional resources from across the nation and from industry partners, including the NRP and beyond.

Speaker: Caughlin Bohn (University of Nebraska)