Chetan Nayak
Chetan Nayak is an American physicist and distinguished professor specializing in condensed matter physics and quantum computing. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society.[1] Nayak is currently a Technical Fellow at Microsoft and a professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB).[2][3]
His research focuses on topological phases of matter, high-temperature superconductivity, the quantum Hall effect, and periodically-driven quantum systems.[2][4]
Early life and education
changeNayak grew up in New York City, graduating from Stuyvesant High School in 1988. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in 1992[2][5] and completed his Ph.D. at Princeton University in 1996, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at UCSB.[6]
==Career== Nayak taught at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1997 to 2006 before joining UCSB in 2007. He also held a visiting professorship at Nihon University in 2002.[7]
In 2005, Nayak joined Microsoft and became Principal Research Manager of Microsoft Station Q in 2014. He now leads the quantum hardware division and was named a Technical Fellow in 2023.[8][9]
Research
changeNayak's work on topological phases of matter underpins fault-tolerant quantum computation. His 1996 collaboration with Frank Wilczek on non-Abelian statistics and Majorana zero modes is central to Microsoft's quantum architecture.[10] He co-proposed hidden order in high-temperature superconductors in 2000 and initiated efforts for a topological quantum computer in 2005.[11] In 2016, he co-predicted "time crystals" in periodically-driven systems.[12]
Recognition and awards
changeNayak is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and has received numerous honors, including the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship and the NSF Early Career Award.[13]
References
change- ↑ Markoff, John (23 June 2014). "Microsoft Makes Bet Quantum Computing Is Next Breakthrough". The New York Times.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Dr. Chetan Nayak at Microsoft Research". Microsoft Research.
- ↑ "Microsoft's Quantum Research Project Headed by Mathematician Takes up Temporary Residence at KITP | KITP". Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics.
- ↑ "Microsoft Quantum Computing Executive Sees Progress After Lagging Rivals". The Information.
- ↑ "Chetan Nayak - Quantum Industry Showcase - UCSB NSF Quantum Foundry California NanoSystems Institute". University of California, Santa Barbara.
- ↑ "Chetan Nayak - Department of Physics | UC Santa Barbara". www.physics.ucsb.edu.
- ↑ "Joint Q-FARM & CMP: Welcomes Chetan Nayak (Microsoft) | QFARM". qfarm.stanford.edu. 24 April 2024.
- ↑ "A Deeper Dive Into Microsoft's Topological Quantum Computer Roadmap". Quantum Computing Report. 21 September 2023.
- ↑ Mackie, Kurt. "Microsoft Touts Continued DARPA Quantum Computing Funding -- Redmondmag.com". Redmondmag.
- ↑ "Chetan Nayak". Society for Science.
- ↑ "In a historic milestone, Azure Quantum demonstrates formerly elusive physics needed to build scalable topological qubits". Microsoft.
- ↑ Else, Dominic V.; Bauer, Bela; Nayak, Chetan (26 August 2016). "Floquet Time Crystals". Physical Review Letters. 117 (9): 090402. arXiv:1603.08001. Bibcode:2016PhRvL.117i0402E. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.090402. PMID 27610834.
- ↑ "New type of quasiparticle emerges to tame quantum computing errors". Physics World. 22 May 2023.