The development of a quantum computer, which would harness the power of atoms and molecules and therefore perform calculations much faster than a traditional computer, would be a remarkable technological accomplishment. A recent award won by Assistant Professor of Physics Peter Love could bring us one step closer to this goal.

Love has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, which recognizes outstanding junior faculty in colleges across the country. The NSF will grant Love $500,000 over five years to fund a project called“A Roadmap for Quantum Simulation.'' Love has proposed theoretical work leading to a“road map” of experiments that will allow for efficient computer simulation of quantum systems.

“I'm particularly happy that NSF funded a proposal which was based very strongly on the model of faculty-student research that is characteristic of Haverford,” says Love.“The proposed work builds on projects that Haverford physics students have already substantially contributed to. For example, all of the figures in this proposal were produced by students either in class projects in computational physics or during their senior thesis work.”

Love is one of two Haverford physics professors to have received this award. In 2007—a year before he joined the College's faculty—Associate Professor of Physics Stephon Alexander '93 won a CAREER award for his project in high energy theory and cosmology. A professor at Penn State at the time, Alexander was awarded $400,000.

In addition to his theoretical work on quantum simulation over the next five years, Love's award will support the hiring of a physics post-doctoral scholar and the development of a course on the foundations of quantum mechanics for non-majors, and will continue to bolster faculty-student collaboration.

-Brenna McBride