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Quantum simulation is one of the pillars of Quantum Revolution 2.0. Its essence is to simulate a complicated and hard-to-control quantum system using a simple and controllable one. Ultracold atoms and ions, due to their unprecedented controllability, have become an important platform for quantum simulation. In this talk, I will introduce two recent works in collaboration with my experimental colleagues at Rice. The first work concerns the simulation of electron transfer — an important issue relevant to many biochemical processes and material science — using trapped ions; and the second concerns the simulation of spin-charge separation — a unique phenomenon in one dimensional quantum many-body system — using two-component ultracold Fermi gas. These two works clearly demonstrated the advantages of performing quantum simulation using cold atoms and ions. I will also discuss some future directions based on these works.

MIT Technology Review, a magazine founded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, annually selects 35 Innovators Under 35 by region. HKIQST is proud to announce that our fellow, Professor Qi Zhao, Assistant Professor at the School of Computing and Data Science, the University of Hong Kong has been recognized as one of the 35 Innovators Under 35 for the Asia-Pacific region by MIT Technology Review. This prestigious award highlights young innovators whose work promises to change the world.

The roles of quantum effects in biological systems have long fascinated biophysicists. Meanwhile, proteins undergo sophisticated motions in space and time, which are believed to ultimately govern the biological function and activities of the proteins. Quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) provides exceptional tools for studying the dynamics of proteins in the time range of picosecond to nanosecond at the molecular level. In this talk, based on our recent work on various biological systems studied by QENS and other techniques, such as inelastic neutron scattering (INS), small angle neutron scattering (SANS), and neutron spin echo (NSE), I will discuss the possibility of using neutron scattering techniques to reveal the quantum mechanical effects, such as tunneling effect in the dynamics of proteins and connect them with protein activities or functions.