Search Talks

The cosmic microwave background is a sensitive probe of early-Universe physics, and yet fundamental constants at recombination can differ from their present-day values due to degeneracies in the standard cosmological model. Such scenarios have been invoked to reconcile discrepant measurements of the present-day expansion rate, but even absent such motivation they raise the intriguing possibility of yet-undiscovered physics coupled directly to Standard Model particles. I will discuss theories in which a new scalar field shifts the electron's mass at early times; viable models are already stringently constrained by measurements of quasar absorption lines, the abundances of light elements, and the universality of free fall. I will show that the remaining parameter space is exactly that which allows not only the primary cosmic microwave background but also low-redshift distances to be consistent with observations. After presenting the results of parameter inference I will discuss additional cosmological and laboratory signatures of the model.

---

Zoom link https://pitp.zoom.us/j/99705853481?pwd=MTZRWC9hREkvOXpiZkxCM3UvdnRNQT09

Squeezing has proven to be a powerful tool for suppressing noise in bosonic quantum sensing and communication. However, it is fragile and the resulting quantum advantage is extremely vulnerable to loss and noise. In this seminar, I will first overview the method of formulating loss and noise and thereby characterizing the practical quantum advantages. Then I will present our recent progress on entanglement-assisted protocols using two-mode squeezed-vacuum states, which are robust to loss and noise. I will demonstrate the quantum advantages in three scenarios: dark matter search, absorption spectroscopy, and telecommunication. Notably, we derived the ultimate precision limit of noise sensing and dark matter search. As a result, we found the two-mode squeezed vacuum is the optimal quantum source for dark matter search at the limit of strong squeezing. This optimality extends to entanglement-assisted communication. In each of the presented scenarios, entanglement-assisted protocols yield quantum advantages of orders of magnitude over classical protocols.

---

Zoom link https://pitp.zoom.us/j/94873478582?pwd=c1dxNEVtMGx0ZU4vZjRvTU5OakZoUT09

Abstract TBA

---

Zoom link https://pitp.zoom.us/j/92901106970?pwd=SEdZajRQYWlrQzJhRnM0WnRpeHVNdz09

W-algebras are a family of vertex algebras obtained as Hamiltonian reductions of affine vertex algebras parametrized by nilpotent orbits. The W-algebras associated with regular nilpotent orbits enjoy the Feigin-Frenkel duality. More recently, Gaiotto and Rap\v{c}\'ak generalize this result to hook-type W-algebras with the triality for vertex algebras at the corner. In this talk, I will present the correspondence of representation categories for the hook-type W-superalgebras and how to gain general W-algebras in type A from hook-type W-algebras. The talk is based on joint works with my collaborators.

---

Zoom link https://pitp.zoom.us/j/92163414611?pwd=a1A5NHUrbEpxUUVuS3pEd1VYQk5kdz09

Network nonlocality, and more specifically, triangle network nonlocality, is a basic feature of modern causal modelling when going beyond Bell scenarios. However, despite the apparent simplicity of the problems one may formulate, relatively little is known due to the hardness of certifying nonlocality in networks. In this talk, I will describe a motivating example of a quantum triangle distribution, the Elegant Joint Measurement due to Nicolas Gisin, that is strongly believed to be nonlocal even in the presence of experimental noise. I will then present the ongoing effort to produce a computer-assisted proof of nonlocality for this distribution, thereby developing a toolkit to tackle general nonlocality problems. This effort is based on the inflation technique for causal inference, but taken to higher levels than what was generally considered tractable. This is made possible by a number of optimization techniques, involving symmetry reductions, branch-and-bound optimization, and most importantly, the use of a Frank-Wolfe algorithm to bypass the need to call a standard linear program solver.

---

Zoom link https://pitp.zoom.us/j/97499052021?pwd=R1EyU2pmc1hFSzJ1UEpJQ1h0RnQzdz09