Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling and Quantum Computation: Magnets vs Superconductors
Eugene M. Chudnovsky, The City University of New York, USA
Thursday 15 January 2026, 12.00 PM
ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles and ONLINE (Register here)
Abstract
The history of the research on macroscopic quantum tunneling in magnets and superconductors will be reviewed in light of the 2025 Nobel Prize in physics. The focus will be on the landmark theoretical and experimental work that inspired contemporary studies of spin tunneling in search of Josephson-junction and spin-based qubits for quantum computation.
Short bio
Eugene Michael Chudnovsky is a Distinguished Professor of Physics at the City University of New York (CUNY). He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) elected for his "seminal contributions to random ferromagnetism, macroscopic quantum tunneling, and hexatic order in high-temperature superconductors".
Chudnovsky received his undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral education at Kharkiv University in Ukraine, in the school of theoretical physics founded by Lev Landau and his students. He spent one year at Tufts University (Boston, USA) before moving permanently to CUNY in 1988. During his tenure at CUNY, his research has been supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and by private industries.
Chudnovsky has held numerous visiting positions at the research centers in the US, Asia, and Europe, including the University of Barcelona, where he collaborates with the group of Javier Tejada since 1991. Together, they published four books and numerous research papers. Since 2006, they have been co-organizing an annual International Physics Workshop in Coma-Ruga. Their most recent research on magnetic systems for stealth technology is supported in New York and Barcelona by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Besides theoretical physics, Chudnovsky has been active in the field of human rights. He is a recipient of the 2024 APS Andrei Sakharov Prize, awarded to him “for decades of leadership of prominent campaigns on behalf of oppressed scientists, including chairmanship of the APS and New York Academy of Sciences human rights committees and co-chairing of the Committee of Concerned Scientists.
Hosted by Benjamín Martínez, from the ACNM (Materials for Electronics Research Line)
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