Lasers and Lightbulbs

It has been a busy fall semester, as I look to submit my first condensed matter physics paper which is also my first, first author physics paper. It’s definitely been a long road but I am happy to have learned a lot of technical skills throughout. I’ll be sure to make a post with the details in the coming months once they have been officially released. I am also learning more cryptography than I even knew existed! A familiar feeling I’m sure, to anyone who discovers the richness of a new academic field adjacent to their own. I’m keeping busy with my teaching duties, alongside classes and research (not to mention wedding planning!) but I am hopeful I will find the time to submit some intership applications for the coming summer as well.

There have been not one, but two major breakthrough experimental results in the past month for quantum computing! I’m talking of course of Caltech’s record breaking neutral atom system as well as Harvard’s neutral atom “conveyor belt” system. Both groups demonstrated remarkably long coherence times, and a clear pathway to scaling further. Ever since I participated in QuEra’s 2025 hackathon I’ve placed my bets that neutral atoms are the best path toward large scale fault-tolerant quantum computers. These recent results from both Harvard and Caltech, I see as further evidence of this. Of course the jury is not out yet, there are other promising systems and I certainly wouldn’t turn down a job somewhere that wasn’t neutral atom based!

What I’m Taking Away

With these recent breakthroughs, along with many other important results and 2025 being the offical UN Year of Quantum Science and Technology, there is an increase in public interest in quantum computing. As a PhD student, I regularly find myself having to answer questions such as, what is a quantum computer? How do they work and what are they good for? How are they difference from normal computers? Over the years, its become apparent that people outside of the industry are hearing more about quantum computing and are curious for what the implications might be. The best analogy I’ve come up with for the distinction between quantum computers and classical computers is that of the laser and the lightbulb. Both things produce light, and both of them have many uses, some of which are in common and some of which are distinct. Just as the invention of the laser didn’t replace every lightbulb in your home, the fault tolerant quantum computer is not going to replace your smartphone or laptop. Lasers are used in all sorts of things people might not think about, such as surgeries, construction and surveying, cleaning, manufacturing, electronics and space exploration. Similarly, quantum computers are likely to provide uses that their lightbulb-like counterparts simply cannot do, of which we have only just scratched the surface! It is an exciting time to be in the field and I’m looking forward to a 2026 filled with lots more milestones.