Perfect Broccoli & Quantum Thermometers ft. George Mihailescu

In Other Words

Using a quantum system itself as a thermometer to measure a quantum sample’s temperature with maximum precision, his first PhD project, tested on graphene, twisted bilayer graphene and metals, giving a robust, well-defined thermometric response.

Key Takeaways

A quantum system used as a temperature probe gives the most precise measurement physically possible, which matters because quantum devices only work in a narrow temperature window and thermal fluctuations destroy the quantum states they rely on.
His first PhD result: this quantum thermometry gives a robust, well-defined response across very different samples (graphene, twisted bilayer graphene, metals), even though correlations and entanglement build up between probe and sample.
Equal1’s bet: CMOS is cheap, ubiquitous and scalable, so even if its qubits are noisier and more error-prone than other platforms, having far more of them (and possibly running warmer) could compensate.
Quantum batteries store energy in a quantum system’s energy levels/coherences; the models map to real systems but it’s unclear any exist in a lab, and heat or a drop would spoil the state, so not in your phone.
Link to AI: a quantum speed-up in accessing huge datasets or training models could make better models arrive sooner. Space wouldn’t obviously help, fewer thermal fluctuations but other radiation, and a lab is more controllable.
On the profession: Irish PhD stipends fall below cost of living although PhDs work more than 9-to-5, carry teaching load off professors, and raise the university’s status.