Chong Zu
Washington University in St Louis, MO·Physics
How do quantum systems behave when they are pushed out of balance, and how does the familiar classical world emerge from quantum rules? These questions matter both for basic physics and for building better quantum simulators and sensors.
- Fields
Physics
Materials Science
- Topics
non-equilibrium quantum dynamics
nitrogen-vacancy center
NV center
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Aug 2028
What they work on
- Explore new non-equilibrium phenomena that arise when the strict time-periodic (Floquet) driving of a quantum spin system is relaxed, using nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center ensembles in diamond.
- Determine how everyday classical behavior emerges from microscopic quantum laws as the range of spin–spin interactions changes, using room-temperature spin defects in diamond and hBN.
- Test whether distinct quantum phases and states can be generated in lower dimensions, using two-dimensional spin defects in atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride (hBN).
More about the research
The project studies them using spin defects, which are tiny atomic-scale flaws in crystals that act like controllable quantum magnets. These defects can be prepared and read out with light at room temperature, so no cryogenic or vacuum equipment is needed.
Why it matters
Understanding how quantum systems behave out of equilibrium could guide the design of better quantum simulators and quantum sensors. Methods for preserving coherence could improve precision measurement, a field known as quantum metrology. Benchmarks from these room-temperature platforms could also help scientists predict the behavior of complex real materials.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Sanjay Behura
San Diego State University, CA·Materials Science
Assess the translation potential of a room-temperature quantum sensor based on optically addressable spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride, light-readable flaws in an atomically thin material, through I-Corps customer discovery.
Chunhui Du
Georgia Institute of Technology, GA·Physics·Early-career
Determine how spin spreads through antiferromagnetic insulators and how their alternating Néel order switches, by imaging local magnetic fields with nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond.
Cyrus Dreyer
Stony Brook University, NY·Physics·Early-career
Develop quantum embedding methods that combine density-functional theory with many-body methods, improving how they treat electron repulsion in defect orbitals, defect–crystal mixing, and double-counting errors.
The school
Washington University in St Louis: 97 labs on PI Pages, $1.2B a year on research, 365 research doctorates a year.
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