Sergey M. Frolov, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, and W. Vincent Liu, associate professor of physics and astronomy, both within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, have received a two-year, $242,310 research grant from The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation for their proposal titled “Topological Quantum Wire Emulators.”
Quantum mechanics dictates that for each type of particle an antiparticle (with an opposite charge) should naturally exist. For example, a positively charged positron—an elementary particle—is an antiparticle of a negatively charged electron. Frolov and Liu’s work will examine the Majorana fermion—a long-sought-after particle expected to have properties ideal for quantum computing.
Frolov and Liu are among the first recipients of grants from The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation, which has provided nearly $1.6 million to support cutting-edge, scientific research at institutions across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.