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Welcome to the
Minnich Group

Our group focuses on developing detectors based on semiconductor devices and superconducting circuits used in radio astronomy and other scientific applications. We work at the intersection of engineering, materials science, and physics. We are part of a vibrant quantum science and engineering environment at Caltech.

Our group is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our division, at Caltech, and in the research community.

News

Group News

Latest publications

Jiace Sun publishes his paper on semi-analytical model of two-phonon polar optical phonon scattering for hot electrons in GaAs

Haozhe Wang publishes his paper on Isotropic plasma-thermal atomic layer etching of aluminum nitride

Shi-Ning Sun submits his paper on quantum computation of frequency-domain molecular response properties

Benjamin publishes his article in PRB on two-phonon scattering in non-polar semiconductors.

David publishes paper on high-field charge transport and noise in p-Si from first principles

Happenings

Minnich group presents 5 talks in APS March meeting

Mar 5, 2023

Welcome our new graduate students Ivy Chen and Justin Chen

Oct 31, 2022

Anthony successfully defends his thesis!

May 26, 2022

Alex is selected for the 2021 Centennial Prize for the Best Thesis in MCE!

May 24, 2022

Haozhe wins the Best Poster Award at Materials Research Society!

May 12, 2022

 

Research

Projects

Answering fundamental questions in physics and cosmology requires continuous improvement of the noise performance of existing detector technologies as well as the development of fundamentally new types of detectors. Our group’s present research focuses on the solid-state physics and transport phenomena that govern the noise performance of various detectors, typically based on semiconductors and superconducting circuits at Caltech.

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We are developing transistor microwave amplifiers used in radio astronomy and other fields that operate near the standard quantum limit of noise.

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We are advancing ab-initio methods to compute high-field transport and fluctuation phenomena in solids without any adjustable parameters.

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We are developing atomic layer etching (ALE) processes for various dielectrics and metals and applying them to devices such as superconducting microresonators. By careful engineering of the surface region with atomic precision, we will be able to push the performance of detectors towards their intrinsic upper limit.

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We are exploring how near-term quantum computers may be used for quantum simulation of physically relevant systems.

Community

People

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Principal Investigator

Austin J. Minnich

Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics

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Professional Preparation

BS University of California Berkeley, 2006

MS Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008

PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011 

Appointments

Professor, California Institute of Technology, 2017-Present

Assistant Professor, California Institute of Technology, 2011-2017

Click here for a copy of Austin's CV

Deputy Chair, Division of E&AS, 2022 - Present

Current group members

Research scientist & Postdoctoral researcher

Graduate student

Click here to see our group alumni.

Teaching

Teaching

Fall 2022

APh 138b: Quantum Hardware and Techniques

This class covers multiple quantum technology platforms and related theoretical techniques, and will provide students with broad knowledge in quantum science and engineering. It will be split into three-week modules covering: applications of near-term quantum computers, superconducting qubits, trapped atoms and ions, topological quantum matter, solid state quantum bits, tensorproduct states.

Contact
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P: (626)-395-3385

F: (626)-583-4963

Minnich Lab

1200 E. California Blvd, M.C. 104-44

Pasadena, CA 91125

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