Research areas

Quantum materials lead to emergent quantum phenomena and novel, unprecedented functionalities. Unconventional magnetic states where quantum fluctuations play a decisive role in destabilizing conventional magnetic ordering, leading to intricate quantum disordered states characterized by non-trivial fractional excitations, emergent gauge fields and stable topologies, provide a promising platform for new-generation quantum technologies and are, therefore, of particular interest. The research directions at the JSI include:

• characterizations of unconventional highly entangled magnetic states such as quantum spin liquids that lack long-range magnetic ordering,
• studying topologically protected fractional excitations from intricate magnetic ground states,
• investigations of complex magnetic orders and related extraordinary magnetic excitations,
• detection of weak magnetic fields at surfaces of unconventional magnets with newly developed optical magnetometry via NV centres in diamonds, etc.

Advisors:

• Prof. Andrej Zorko
• Prof. Denis Arčon
• Prof. Martin Klanjšek
• Prof. Matej Pregelj

Quantum nanomaterials exhibit unique properties due to their nanoscale dimensions where quantum-mechanical effects become prevalent. The physical properties of these materials significantly depend on their size, shape, and synthesis conditions, making their outstanding magnetic, electrical, optical, mechanical, and catalytic properties tuneable. Their unique properties lead to a vast application potential in various fields, from quantum computing, high-density memory storage and efficient energy conversion, to catalysis, chemical sensing, targeted drug delivery and bio-imaging, etc. The research directions at the JSI include:

• studying quantum dots, as very small aggregations of material, where modifications allow to tune their properties for different applications by surface functionalization, plasma treatment, ion- and gamma irradiation,
• investigations of electronic and spin structures in magnetic nanoparticles, where the synthesis and processing conditions lead to surface reconstruction and adsorption of specific species from the system,
• studying quantum molecular magnets, in which quantum coherence can be maintained over longer periods, etc.

Advisors:

• Prof. Gašper Tavčar
• Prof. Darja Lisjak
• Prof. Janez Kopač

Advanced quantum materials are characterized by non-generic quantum effects, leading to enhanced electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. For instance, in ferroelectrics the quantum criticality arising purely from the crystalline lattice could be controllably engineered. The research directions at the JSI include:

• studying ferroelectric or antiferroelectric materials with mobile charge carriers, in which quantum paraelectric fluctuations are expected to give rise to new effective electron-electron interactions thus resulting in several possible intriguing electronic states, such as superconductivity,
• studying the interaction of plasma light quanta with advanced materials in the pursuit of greener future,
• investigating quantum materials under extreme conditions, e.g., high pressures,
• single-crystal growth of novel quantum materials enabling in-depth insight to their physical properties, etc.

Advisors:

• Prof. Zdravko Kutnjak
• Dr. Anna Razumnaya
• Prof. Rok Zaplotnik
• Prof. Alenka Vesel
• Prof. Matic Lozinšek
• Prof. Mirela Dragomir

Hybrid quantum devices and heterogeneous structures, allow to combine the advantages of multiple constituent materials and thereby achieve novel functionalities. Here, external driving can often lead to non-equilibrium hidden states and novel phenomena. The research directions at the JSI include:

• development of suitable theoretical frameworks to model hybrid quantum systems and of advanced numerical solvers to approach them,
• developing advanced numerical descriptions based on nonequilibrium field theory to study heterostructures where properly tuned external driving can reach condensation of excitonic pairs,
• study of new concepts of hybrid devices that aim to fulfil the requirements of future cryocomputing, in particular the development of devices with efficient and fast memory,
• exploring hidden metastability in quantum materials, which is emerging as a powerful tool for generating new functionalities and therefore offers great advantages for technology, etc.

Advisors:

• Prof. Rok Žitko
• Prof. Denis Golež
• Prof. Dragan Mihailović
• Dr. Anže Mraz
• Prof. Igor Vaskivskyi
• Prof. Tomaž Mertelj

Cold-atom quantum devices are emerging as innovative sensors that promise significant improvements in sensitivity and accuracy. The artificial arrays of cold atoms can serve as qubit registers for applications in quantum simulation, quantum computing and quantum optimization. These devices have far-reaching implications for cybersecurity, navigation, inertial sensing, medical diagnostics, geology and archeology. The research directions at the JSI include:

• investigation of the use of cold atoms in optical tweezer arrays providing a fast and efficient method to generate defect-free atomic arrays with arbitrary geometries,
• studying cold-atom based devices for quantum memories, random number generators, interferometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and gravimeters,
• developing a setup for quantum optomechanics using optically trapped dielectric particles, etc.

Advisors:

• Dr. Peter Jeglič
• Prof. Rainer Kaltenbaek

Quantum effects of topological defects on nanostructured surfaces can significantly influence cell-surface and cell-cell interactions, and could lead to nanoscale medical devices with enhanced efficiency and to the development of highly sensitive biosensors. Furthermore, structural defect-driven modifications can be utilized to optimize performance of a particular material for advanced technological applications. The research directions at the JSI include:

• studying quantum effects upon absorption of vacuum-ultraviolet photons in organic matter, with the goal of understanding the appearance of new pathogenic microorganisms,
• studying topological defects that are critical in defining the mechanics and dynamics of matter, especially in biological systems,
• investigation of the energy states of structural defects at the quantum level,
• studying functional metamaterials with high surface plasmon activity, which have revolutionised the sensing of genetic material at the nanoscale, etc.

Advisors:

• Prof. Gregor Primc
• Prof. Miran Mozetič
• Prof. Ita Junkar
• Dr. Metka Benčina
• Prof. Samo Kralj
• Dr. Janez Zavašnik
• Dr. Vasyl Shvalya
• Prof. Uroš Cvelbar

Various quantum computer platforms are currently being developed worldwide, like the superconducting qubits, artificially trapped ions and diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre qubits, topological qubits in Majorana-fermion systems and topologically protected textures, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) qubits, photonic qubits, etc. The research directions at the JSI include:

• exploration of NV-centre production by ion implantation of ¹⁵N to engineer isolated quantum centres in diamonds across geometrically predefined nanopatterns,
• integration of single-molecule spin qubits on surfaces yielding long coherence times,
• investigation of magnetic skyrmions with topological charge, with the emphasis on interfaces of different materials and electric fields or currents to study switching between different quantum and consequently logical states.

Advisors:

• Prof. Primož Pelicon
• Prof. Erik Zupanič
• Dr. Marion van Midden Mavrič
• Prof. Matej Komelj

The development of quantum computing across several technologies and platforms has reached the point of having an advantage over classical computers for an artificial problem, a point known as “quantum advantage”. The next step is “practical quantum advantage”, where quantum devices will solve problems of practical interest that are not tractable on traditional supercomputers. Many of the most promising short-term applications of quantum computers can be labelled as quantum simulation – modelling the quantum properties of microscopic particles. This is directly relevant to modern materials science, quantum chemistry and drug optimisation, as well as to high-energy physics. The research directions at the JSI include:

• performing quantum simulations on existing special-purpose analogue quantum simulators and digital NISQ devices
• studying the possible use of quantum and quantum-like computer modelling algorithms in the field of biopharmaceutics, with the goal to advance the modelling of proteins and their folding mechanisms,
• performing quantum computing in theoretical studies of hadrons based on the fundamental quantum field theories of strong and electroweak interactions, in order to deepen the understanding of the relation between particles and antiparticles,
• application of quantum computing algorithms to experimental particle physics problems (e.g., large-scale Monte Carlo simulations),
• development of a kinetic theory for quantum chaos that could be applied to any weakly coupled quantum field theory, etc.

Advisors:

• Prof. Saša Prelovšek Komelj
• Prof. Luka Leskovec
• Prof. Miha Ravnik
• Dr. Jaka Vodeb
• Prof. Dragan Mihailović
• Prof. Viktor Kabanov
• Prof. Borut Kerševan

Quantum information science encompasses quantum mechanics, computer science, information theory, cryptography, etc. It focuses on extracting information from states of quantum systems. Quantum computation manipulates and processes these information – performs logical operations – using quantum information processing techniques. Noisy intermediate-scale quantum devices currently hold the leading role in the second quantum revolution. The scope of problems that these devices can tackle is primarily constrained by errors caused by environmental noise and intrinsic imperfections of the processors. The research directions at the JSI include:

• studying advanced machine learning methods in the context of quantum information processing, such as methods for relational learning and multitarget prediction,
• studying quantum neural network applications in machine learning, with the focus on applying meta-learning to determine appropriate architectures and hyperparameter values to obtain good learning performance.
• developing top-notch software tools that would provide flexibility in exploring the loss landscape when developing efficient quantum circuit ansätze,
• developing quantum cryptography algorithms that would provide unparalleled security levels by using quantum keys that, in theory, cannot be intercepted or decoded without being noticed. etc.

Advisors:

• Prof. Sašo Džeroski
• Prof. Matjaž Gams
• Prof. Ljupčo Todorovski
• Dr. Samed Bajrić
• Prof. Tome Eftimov