International Year of Quantum begins with third Swiss Quantum Days

Taking place over two-and-a-half days, the conference, co-organized by the QSE Center and the other Swiss quantum centers, featured a diverse array of talks and discussions by researchers of all levels from all areas of quantum research. There were also plenty of opportunites for informal networking during poster sessions, evening drinks, and even a free afternoon of snow sports and spa activities.

“The Swiss Quantum Days is a scientific conference like many, but unlike many, its goal is to gether the whole community in Switzerland working in the broad field of quantum science and technologies,” says Vincenzo Savona, academic director of the QSE Center at EPFL.

“People came from all corners of Switzerland for this event,” says Anu Unnikrishnan, excutive director of the Quantum Center at ETH Zurich, one of the co-organizers. “It’s really nice to see all of the research in quantum that’s happening around the country in one place. As quantum centers, we want to serve the community and provide this time and place for people to talk about their research.”

While the first two editions of Swiss Quantum Days took place in Villars-sur-Ollon in Canton Vaud, this year brought the conference to Arosa in canton Graubunden, the site of the former NCCR QSIT meetings. It was also an apt location as it is said to be the place where Schroedinger derived his famous equation in 1925 during a stay at a sanotorium.

The conference program

Young researchers from across Switzerland made up most of the scientific program of talks, and presented nearly 80 posters as part of the poster session, with Lorenzo Graziotto (ETH Zürich), Alexander Miessen (IBM), and Jeanne Bourgeois (EPFL) winning the three poster prizes.

“The idea was to put the entire Swiss quantum research community in one place, and bet on the young researschers most importantly,” says Philippe Caroff, executive director of the QSE Center at EPFL.

Audiences were also treated to lectures by invited speakers Chetan Nayak (Microsoft Station Q), Wolfgang Tittel (University of Geneva & Constructor Institute of Technology), Philipp Treutlein (University of Basel), Juan Felipe Carrasquilla Alvarez (ETH Zürich) and Mitali Banerjee (EPFL). The keynote was given by Ana Maria Rey (JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) & University of Colorado Boulder), who spoke on new frontiers in quantum simulation and sensing via cavity-mediated interactions.

"It's a pleasure and an honor to be a keynote speaker at such an important event," says Rey. "One of the most exciting comments that I heard was that my talk helped to inspire young women and young scientists to move forward in their career."

As part of the International Year of Quantum, there was also a lively panel on the societal impact of quantum technologies and international collaborations, moderated by Marieke HOOD (GESDA - Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator), with panellists Parisa Fallahi (Basel Precision Instruments GmbH), Klaus Ensslin (ETH Zürich), Grégoire Ribordy (ID Quantique) and Nicole Schaad (SERI). Nicolas Gisin also gave important updates on the current status of the Swiss Quantum Initiative.

“When we provide this opportunity for people to meet and gather and discuss together, it leads to scientific papers, scientific discoveries, and funding proposals,” says Caroff. “We just have to create the right conditions, and the researchers drive it.”