News

  • Physics Seminar – Professor Shohini Ghose on Preparing for Quantum 2.0

    Friday, November 01, 2024 | By

    Please join us on Tuesday November 12th, 2024 in TH147 from 3:00-4:00pm for Professor Shohini Ghose’s seminar on Preparing for Quantum 2.0

    Physics Department Seminar

    Prof. Shohini Ghose
    Wilfrid Laurier University

    Tuesday November 12th, 2024
    3:00-4:00pm, Room: TH 147

    Preparing for Quantum 2.0
    The first quantum revolution, powered by the development of lasers, electronics and atomic clocks, has transformed our modern technological society. Now, the rapid development of new quantum technologies such as quantum computers, sensors and communications networks, offers the promise of a second quantum revolution. This presentation will provide a  tour of the emerging quantum technology landscape, explore potential applications of quantum technologies in healthcare, security, and other sectors, and discuss the impact of Quantum 2.0 on society.

  • Ontario Investing More Than $200 Million in Post secondary Infrastructure

    Friday, November 01, 2024 | By

    Whether a new component for science research or improved product design, students will soon have access to state of the art workshops, thanks to the Ontario Government’s $625,000 Training Equipment and Renewal Fund. We’re unpacking the boxes for our new Design Studio benefiting Physics, Engineering, and other Faculty of Math and Science students in creating their projects.

    Read more about this amazing opportunity at the link below.

    https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1004816/ontario-investing-more-than-200-million-in-postsecondary-infrastructure

  • FIRST Tech Challenge Provincial Championship coming to Brock

    Thursday, October 31, 2024 | By

    Brock Physics is pleased to be an organizing partner in the  FIRST Tech Challenge Provincial Championships. A new partnership between Brock and First Robotics Canada  will see Brock host the championships for the next three years.

    Provincial tech championships to connect robotics to ocean health

     

  • Physics PhD and Master’s students presented their research through both poster and oral sessions at the FMS GRAD Conference.

    Tuesday, October 01, 2024 | By

    The Graduate Math and Science students (GRAMSS) of the Faculty of Mathematics and Science (FMS) at Brock University have formed a vibrant society aimed at fostering inter-lab and interdepartmental collaboration through academic and social activities.

    At this year’s FMS Grad Conference, held on September 28, 2024, our Physics PhD and Master’s students showcased their research through both poster and oral presentations. Notably, students from the Master of Science in Materials Physics (MSMP) program participated in the poster session, presenting some remarkable results and achievements.

    This event highlighted the depth of research being conducted within FMS and the strong community spirit of our graduate students.

  • Physics Seminar – Patrick Clancy on what we can learn about new materials using neutron beams

    Friday, September 27, 2024 | By

    Please join us on Tuesday October 1st, 2024 in MC H313 from 3:30-4:30pm for Patrick Clancy’s seminary on What can we learn about new materials using neutron beams?

    Physics Department Seminar

    Patrick Clancy
    McMaster University

    Tuesday October 1st, 2024
    3:30-4:30pm, Room: MC H313

    What can we learn about new materials using neutron beams?
    Neutron beams are an incredibly powerful tool for materials research, providing a unique window into the structure and dynamics of novel materials. In particular, the fundamental properties of the neutron (mass, charge, spin) make it an ideal probe for studying magnetism (e.g. quantum materials and superconductors), bulk properties (e.g. structural materials and industrial components), and materials rich in light elements (e.g. biological membranes, batteries, and hydrogen storage materials). However, there are very few facilities in North America which provide access to neutron beam research techniques. In this talk, I will describe our ongoing efforts to build a new neutron user facility at the McMaster Neclear Reactor, a 5MW research reactor based at McMaster University. I will also highlight several recent examples of how we can use neutron beams to investigate the structural and magnetic properties of copper-based quantum magnets and high Tc superconductors.

  • Physics Seminar – Dr. Lee Rozema on Photonic Quantum Computing: Finding Science Behind the Engineering

    Tuesday, July 09, 2024 | By

    Please join us on Wednesday July 24th, from 11:00am-12:00pm in GSB 306 for Dr. Lee Rozema’s seminar on Photonic Quantum Computing: Finding Science Behind the Engineering.

    Physics Department Seminar

    Lee Rozema
    University of Vienna

    Wednesday July 24th, 2024
    11:00am – 12:00pm, Room: GSB 306

    Photonic Quantum Computing: Finding Science behind the Engineering
    There is currently a race to build useful quantum devices, such as quantum computers or quantum communication systems, which promise to accomplish certain tasks in a way that classical systems cannot. For example, companies such as Google and IBM are pursuing quantum computers based on superconducting qubits, while Psi Quantum and Xanadu are attempting the same with photonic devices. In this presentation, I will review the physical requirements of quantum computing and discuss the pros and cons of the photonic approach. While some aspects of realizing a full-scale photonic quantum computer are well-understood and entering the realm of engineering, many interesting scientific questions remain. Some of these topics must be addressed to enable quantum computing, and others are of fundamental interest. To this end, I will present our recent work developing single-photon sources using ultra- thin nonlinear media [1,2], and, if time permits, present a recent line of research exploring alternative models of quantum computation based on superpositions of quantum processes [3,4]. Both of these research directions have potential applications, but they also highlight that the fields quantum information and quantum optics contain many open scientific questions.

  • Physics Seminar – Shengqiang Zhou on Pushing the Tellurium doping limit in Si by ion implantation for infrared optoelectronics

    Tuesday, July 09, 2024 | By

    Please join us on Thursday July 25th, from 11:00am-12:00pm in GSB 306 for Shengqiang Zhou’s seminar on Pushing the Tellurium doping limit in Si by ion implantation for infrared optoelectronics.

    Physics Department Seminar

    Shengqiang Zhou
    Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

    Thursday July 25th, 2024
    11:00am – 12:00pm, Room: GSB 306

    Pushing the Tellurium doping limit in Si by ion implantation for infrared optoelectronics
    Tellurium is one of the deep-level impurities in Si, leading to states of 200-400 meV below the conduction band.   Non-equilibrium methods allow for doping deep-level impurities in Si well above the solubility limit, referred as hyperdoping, that can result in exotic properties, such as extrinsic photo-absorption well  below the Si bandgap [1]. The hyperdoping is realized by ion implantation and pulsed laser melting. We will present the resulting optical and electrical     properties as well as perspective applications for infrared photodetectors. With increasing the Te concentration, the samples undergo an insulator to metal transition [2]. The electron concentration obtained in Te-hyperdoped Si is approaching 1021 cm-3 and does not show saturation [3]. It is even higher than that of P or As doped Si, and mid-infrared localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) are also observed [4]. Using Te-doped Si, we demonstrate the room-temperature operation of infrared photodetectors with both vertical and planar device geometries (see Figure 1) [5,6]. The key parameters, such as the detectivity, the bandwidth and the rise/fall time, show competitiveness with commercial products. To understand the microscopic picture, we have performed Rutherford backscattering/channeling angular scans and hard x-ray spectroscopies [4, 7]. The Te-dimer complex sitting on adjacent Si lattice sites is the most preferred configuration at high doping concentration. Those substitutional Te-dimers are effective donors, leading to the insulator-to-metal transition, the non-saturating carrier concentration as well as the sub-band photoresponse. Our results are promising for the integration of active and passive photonic elements on a single Si chip, leveraging the advantages of planar CMOS technology.
    This work was financially supported by the German Research Foundation (WA4804/1-1, 445049905).

     

  • Assistant Professor Barak Shoshany’s Open-Source Work Looks to Accelerate Scientific Computing

    Wednesday, June 19, 2024 | By

    Assistant Professor of Physics Barak Shoshany, has created a free open-source package that enables researchers to improve the performance of their scientific software with a C++17 thread pool for high-performance scientific computing.

    Researcher’s open-source work looks to accelerate scientific computing

  • Brock University Physics Student Connor Wilson is the recipient of the 2024 Faculty of Math and Science Best MSc Thesis Award!

    Wednesday, June 19, 2024 | By

    A big congratulations to Brock Physics student Connor Wilson who is the recipient of the 2024 Faculty of Math and Science Best MSc Thesis Award in recognition of exceptional contributions in student research.

  • 2025 Proclaimed as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology!

    Wednesday, June 12, 2024 | By

    Brock Physics and the Canadian Association of Physicists are excited that on June 7, the United Nations proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), increasing public awareness of the importance of quantum science and applications.
    The research at Brock Physics is centered on developing quantum materials for industry and infrastructure, clean energy and economic growth. Keep an eye out for public activities here at Brock during this year-long, worldwide initiative!
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