Quantum Technologies Seminar
March 11, 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Innovation Partnership Building, Storrs CT
Quantum Science and Technology: From Fundamentals to Impact
Seminar Executive Summary and Overview
The Seminar invites faculty, researchers, and graduate students from both UConn and Yale to a half-day seminar exploring how quantum concepts translate into real research and technology opportunities. Featuring invited talks by Prof. Claus Ropers (online), Prof. Bernardo Barbiellini (in person), Dr. John Simonaitis (Founder and CEO of Quantum Electron Devices, in person), Dr. John Gaida (founder and managing director of QSEM GmbH) and Dr. Ruiqi Zhang (online), the seminar will cover quantum effects in optics and energy materials, ultrafast electron and photon phenomena, and emerging quantum-enabled technologies. This event aims to foster collaboration, highlight new and promising research directions, and strengthen Connecticut’s role in the national quantum ecosystem.
Registration is required for this event.
Speakers
About Dr. Claus Ropers
Providing the most detailed views of atomic-scale structure and composition, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) serves as an indispensable tool for structural biology and materials science. The combination of electron microscopy with pulsed electrical or optical stimuli allows for the study of transient phenomena, involving magnetization dynamics, strain evolution and structural phase transformations. Ultrafast transmission electron microscopy (UTEM) is a pump-probe technique, which tracks non-equilibrium processes with simultaneous femtosecond temporal and nanometer to atomic-scale spatial resolutions.
This talk will introduce UTEM based on laser-triggered field emitters and will provide application examples, such as the real-space imaging of structural phase transitions [1] and the coherent mapping of optical fields [2]. Beyond time-resolved imaging, ultrafast TEMs also serve as a testbed for free-electron quantum physics, facilitating the study of electron-electron [3,4] as well as electron-photon [5] correlations and entanglements [6].
References
[1] "Ultrafast nanoimaging of the order parameter in a structural phase transition”, Th. Danz, T. Domröse, C. Ropers, Science 371, 6527 (2021)
[2] J. H. Gaida et al., “Attosecond electron microscopy by free-electron homodyne detection”, Nature Photonics 18, 509–515 (2024).
[3] R. Haindl et al., “Coulomb-correlated electron number states in a transmission electron microscope beam”, Nature Physics 19, 1410–1417 (2023).
[4] R. Haindl et al., “Femtosecond and Attosecond Phase-Space Correlations in Few-Particle Photoelectron Pulses”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 165002 (2025).
[5] A. Arend et al., “Electrons herald non-classical light“, Nature Physics 21, 1855–1862 (2025).
[6] J.-W. Henke et al., “Observation of quantum entanglement between free electrons and photons”, arXiv:2504.13047(2025).
Biography
Claus Ropers studied physics in Göttingen and Berkeley and received his PhD in Berlin in 2007. Since 2008, he has held professorial positions in Göttingen and has served as Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences since 2020. For his work on ultrafast microscopy and spectroscopy, he has received several awards, including the Walter Schottky Prize, the Klung Wilhelmy Science Award, the Ernst Ruska Prize, and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.
About Prof. Bernardo Barbiellini
Unlocking fast-charging lithium-ion batteries requires a deep understanding of nanoscale electrode architecture. This talk highlights recent advances in experimental [1,2,3] and computational techniques [4,5,6] to probe the structure–function relationship in cathode materials. We focus on conductive carbon additives, which dramatically enhance charge transport yet remain poorly understood at the microscopic level. Using momentum-resolved positron annihilation spectroscopy, we uncover how carbon π-bonds and O-2p orbitals contribute to electronic pathways. Combined with ab-initio modeling, this approach maps the nanocircuitry within LiCoO₂ electrodes, revealing how carbon morphology governs performance.
References
[1] Gioele Pagot, Valerio Toso, Bernardo Barbiellini, Rafael Ferragut, and Vito Di Noto. "Positron annihilation spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool for the study of LiCoO2 cathode of lithium-ion batteries." Condensed Matter 6, (2021): 28.
[2] Xin Li, Bernardo Barbiellini, Vito Di Noto, Gioele Pagot, Meiying Zheng, and Rafael Ferragut. "A Positron Implantation Profile Estimation Approach for the PALS Study of Battery Materials." Condensed Matter 8 (2023): 48.
[3] Pagot, Gioele, Vito Di Noto, Keti Vezzù, Bernardo Barbiellini, Valerio Toso, Alberto Caruso, Meiying Zheng, Xin Li, and Rafael Ferragut. "Quantum view of Li-ion high mobility at carbon-coated cathode interfaces." Iscience 26, (2023): 105794
[4] Meiying Zheng, Jan Kuriplach, Ilja Makkonen, Rafael Ferragut, Vito Di Noto, Gioele Pagot, Ekaterina Laakso, and Bernardo Barbiellini. "Positron unveiling high mobility graphene stack interfaces in Li-ion cathodes." Communications Materials 5, (2024): 138.
[5] Meiying Zheng, Ilja Makkonen, Rafael Ferragut, Jan Kuriplach, Ekaterina Laakso, Vito Di Noto, Gioele Pagot, Bernardo Barbiellini, "First-principles study of positron interface states in graphene-stacked LiCoO2 Cathodes" Electrochimica Acta 526, (2025), 146128.
[6] Meiying Zheng, Jan Kuriplach, Ilja Makkonen, Rafael Ferragut, Ekaterina Laakso, Gioele Pagot, Vito Di Noto, and Bernardo Barbiellini, “Probing electron transfer orbitals selectively at LiCoO2/C cathode interfaces via positron annihilation spectroscopy.” Physical Review Letter (2026) to appear (doi.org/10.1103/9gfy-lxbp)
Biography
Prof. Bernardo Barbiellini has led the Computational Materials Physics Group at LUT University since 2017. His research advances the understanding of electronic properties of materials through a tightly integrated theoretical and experimental approach. His expertise spans electronic structure theory, battery materials, magnetism, superconductivity, and topological materials. He has made several high-impact contributions. Notably, he was part of the team that reported the first direct observation of anionic redox in a lithium-rich battery material, where his proposal to employ tomographic techniques played a central role in the discovery (Nature 594, 213–216, 2021). He later introduced the concept of using virtual photons to probe the topmost atomic layers of materials (Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 106801, 2022) and provided key theoretical insight into anomalous photoemission phenomena in a perovskite oxide (Nature 617, 493–498, 2023). Prof. Barbiellini is the coordinator of ELMO-LION, a European doctoral program on Li-ion batteries funded by EIT Raw Materials, and currently leads an international effort to develop portable Compton spectrometers for clean-energy research (Appl. Phys. Lett. 124, 223501, 2024). Prior to joining LUT University, he directed the Advanced Scientific Computation Center at Northeastern University, where he secured NSF and DOE funding to model advanced spectroscopic techniques. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Geneva and has held research appointments at Bell Labs, UCLA, and Northeastern University, where he remains a visiting scientist. In 2025, he completed a sabbatical at MIT and continues collaborations initiated during that period. In addition, he collaborates with MathWorks on AI-driven tools for materials research and serves as Head of the LUT Engineering Science Doctoral Program.
About Dr. Ruiqi Zhang
Complex materials with novel properties, such as heavy-Fermion compounds and high-Tc superconductors, have drawn intensive interest not only for their potential applications in material and quantum information science but also for their scientific significance. However, accurately modeling these materials has been a challenge. Therefore, the development of advanced computational methods plays a critical role in materials science, chemistry, and condensed matter physics by providing valuable insights into the underlying physics and properties of novel materials.
In the first part of this talk, I will highlight the importance of the strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) functional, combined with symmetry breaking, advances first-principles modeling of highly correlated d- and f-electron systems. In particular, I will show that this framework correctly opens the insulating gap in parent cuprates, and key electronic features of infinite-layer nickelates, including flat bands and charge-density-wave signatures.
In the second part, I will highlight the strong transferability of the r2SCAN functional for predicting electron–phonon coupling (EPC) both accurately and efficiently across a wide range of materials—from itinerant s/p-electron systems to strongly correlated d-electron compounds. I will cover representative cases including transition-metal oxides CoO and NiO, prototypical ferroelectric BaTiO3, main-group semiconductors (GaAs), the conventional superconductor MgB2. I will also show how this framework yields new insights into EPC in the infinite-layer nickelates.
References
[1] R. Zhang, et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 066401 (2024)
[2] Y . Wang, et al. PRX Energy 5, 013002 (2025)
[3] R. Zhang, et al. Phys. Rev. B 112, L241115, (2025)
Biography
Ruiqi Zhang completed his Ph.D. in 2018 at the University of Science and Technology of China. He is a research assistant professor at Tulane University, where he’s been since 2018. His recent focus involves investigating the electronic structures of strongly correlated materials like cuprates and nickelates, utilizing advanced density functional theory (DFT) with symmetry-breaking and Hamiltonian model calculations. His significant contributions in this field have led to an invitation to deliver an invited talk at the 2024 APS March Meeting. And his recent results highlight the transferability of r2SCAN for efficient, accurate electron–phonon coupling predictions across diverse material classes.
About Dr. John Gaida
The talk will introduce Quantum Scanning Electron Microscope (QSEM), a newly developed multimodal ultrafast electron microscope designed to probe material dynamics and quantum optical phenomena with high spatial and temporal resolution. Ultrafast electron microscopy enables femtosecond‑scale access to out‑of‑equilibrium structural and electronic processes at the nanoscale. QSEM employs femtosecond‑pulsed linear photoemission from a Schottky field emitter and offers simultaneous transmission, reflection, and secondary‑electron detection across 100 eV–30 keV. By bringing femtosecond temporal resolution and fully multimodal detection to the SEM architecture, QSEM establishes a new approach for ultrafast measurements and additionally will enable advanced modes such as energy‑filtered imaging, electron spectroscopy, cathodoluminescence and correlated electron–light detection schemes. As an initial demonstration, raster‑scanned nanobeam diffraction resolves nanoscale structural heterogeneity in the layered quantum material 1T‑TaSe₂. Together, these capabilities position QSEM as a versatile platform for ultrafast investigations of structural, electronic, and quantum‑optical phenomena in advanced materials, as well as quantum-coherent electron–light interactions.
Biography
Dr. John Gaida studied physics at the University of Göttingen and the Politecnico di Milano. Since 2017, he has worked in ultrafast electron microscopy. He completed his PhD summa cum laude in 2024 with the thesis “Coherent Attosecond Electron Microscopy” under Prof. ClausRopers, earning the Jan-Peter Toennies Physics PhD Prize. He is the CEO and co-founder of QSEM GmbH, a Max Planck spin-off developing ultrafast electron microscopy solutions, including the multimodal ultrafast scanning electron microscope QSEM|1, designed for quantum experiments using free electrons and laser light.
About Dr. John Simonaitis
Recent advances in 2D materials, energy/catalytic materials, and nanophotonics have driven the need for high-resolution electron spectroscopy. While Transmission Electron Microscope-based Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (TEM-EELS) provides sub-nanometer and femtosecond resolution, the >100 keV relativistic energy of TEM electrons limits this approach in two ways - (1) significant knock-on damage, and (2) weak coupling.
In this work, we experimentally demonstrate that low-energy EELS performed in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) overcomes these barriers. We show that SEM-EELS enables knock-on damage-free measurements while achieving >50x stronger coupling to both 2D and nananophotonic systems compared to TEM-EELS. We further explore the applications of this high-efficiency technique for studying energetic and catalytic materials and nm-scale, quantum-coherent readout of nitrogen/silicon vacancy centers, quantum dots. We finish by examining this technologies potential for the generation of exotic states of quantum light.
Biography
John Simonaitis is a postdoctoral scientist at MIT and founder of Quantum Electron Detectors, which aims to develop next-generation electron spectrometers for plasmonics, energy materials, 2D materials, and quantum electron optics.