Swathi Chandrika first fell in love with physics because of how eloquently the field could describe the fundamentals of the natural world. As she progressed through her education, she realized that physics could also allow her to build new things.
“I became really excited by this idea that I could use physics to figure out how to make entirely new technologies,” Chandrika said.
After completing an undergraduate degree in engineering and applied physics, Chandrika enrolled in the Quantum Science and Engineering PhD program at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME), among the first programs of its kind in the nation. She wanted more exposure to quantum science and knew that researchers at PME were on the forefront of quantum research, testing new quantum materials, devices, protocols, and algorithms through the Chicago Quantum Exchange.
Now, a year and a half into her graduate degree, Chandrika is investigating quantum transduction—the process of converting quantum signals from one form of energy to another—and developing new methods to transmit quantum information across long distances through existing fiber optic infrastructure.
Converting wavelengths of light
Quantum computers use the laws of quantum mechanics to process and store data in a fundamentally different—and more powerful—way from today’s classical computers. For quantum computers to have practical applications at the same scale as today’s classical computers, however, researchers must design ways to read out their quantum properties and transmit that information over long distances. Today, that aspect of quantum networking is still challenging.