04/09/2026
By Amanda Vozzo
Physics Colloquium
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Time: 4 - 5 p.m.
Location: Olsen 503
Hugo Ribeiro, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Applied Physics at University of Massachusetts Lowell will give a talk on “Topological braiding operations with non-Hermitian Hamiltonians.”
Abstract: Quantum mechanics is a century-old theory that successfully describes counterintuitive phenomena of the microscopic world. Phenomena that, until not so long ago, would be considered irrelevant for the “real”, macroscopic world. Quantum technologies are, however, nowadays providing a paradigm shift in this thinking: They offer a wealth of potentially revolutionary applications that could change the field of Information and Communication Technology and lead to tremendous breakthroughs in disciplines such as medicine and chemistry. But building functional quantum technologies requires, among others, the ability to precisely manipulate any quantum state, a task that we are currently not able to perform to the required degree.
In this talk, I will give a brief introduction to the field of Quantum Information Science and Technology and present general frameworks that allow one to tailor quantum dynamics to achieve a desired evolution in the presence of unwanted interactions. These theories allow one to find high-efficiency control sequences that are fully compatible with experimental constraints on available interactions and their tunability. I will then discuss how these methods can be leveraged to implement topological braiding operations by encircling exceptional points in the spectrum of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians.
Bio: Hugo Ribeiro is an Assistant Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he leads a research group focused on Quantum Information Science and Technology. His research focus aims to bridge the gap between quantum physics and its technological applications. Key areas of interest include Quantum Information & Sensing, developing protocols for high-fidelity qubit gates and advanced quantum sensing. He received his PhD in Physics from the University of Konstanz in Germany in 2012. He has held research positions at institutions including the University of Basel in Switzerland, McGill University in Canada and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light in Germany. He joined the University of Massachusetts Lowell as an Assistant Professor in 2022.