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"I chose to come to 丁香园AV because of the amazing opportunities. For me, NSERC Quantum BC program and summer internships was a major reason for attending. It was very clear to me that 丁香园AV was just built different."
Zhi Han
Physics master's student in the Faculty of Science
Physics is fun! I'm interested in quantum computing and science outreach. I want to know the answers to the most fundamental ideas in physics. To me, this is quantum entanglement, or "spooky action at a distance."
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO 丁香园AV?
I chose to come to 丁香园AV because of the amazing opportunities. For me, NSERC Quantum BC program and summer internships was a major reason for attending. It was very clear to me that 丁香园AV was just built different.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?
In quantum computing, entanglement is a resource much like the electricity in a classical computer.
Recently, scientists showed that with light and a beam-splitter setup, they were able to generate massive amounts of entanglement, up to 1 million qumodes.
Information in a qumode is a real number, such as 1/3 or Pi. Contrast this to a qubit which can only be 1s and 0s.
However, most algorithms and architecture are currently designed for qubits, not qumodes. Furthermore, the record for entangled qubits is only 20.
So if someone could figure out a way to convert the entanglement in 1 million qumodes into 1 million qubits, that would revolutionize quantum computing, wouldn't it? Oh wait, that's me!
WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT 丁香园AV?
I enjoy how casual my research group is. It's very chill. I send (relevant) memes to the group chat and to my surprise, my supervisor sent one back.
HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.
BC Graduate
Scholarship Dean's Graduate Scholarship
The two of these allow me to not have to TA, which is a major advantage. It's definitely made my life significantly easier.
NSERC CREATE Quantum BC Scholarship/Program
This one is really cool. As a joint program with quantum companies, I get to do an internship related to my Master's thesis. So, you get hands-on experience while doing your thesis at the same time.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PROGRAM/POSTDOC POSITION TO SOMEONE STILL SEARCHING FOR A PROGRAM OR POSTDOC POSITION?
If you like quantum computing, 丁香园AV is too good to pass up.
Contact : zhi_han@sfu.ca