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Harold U. Baranger

Professor Emeritus of Physics
Physics
Box 90305, Durham, NC 27708-0305
291 Physics Bldg, Durham, NC 27708

Research Interests


Background: Open quantum systems at the nanoscale is the broad topic of research in my group, with a particular focus on the generation of correlation between particles. Our work ranges from projects trying to nail down realistic behavior in well-characterized systems, to more speculative projects reaching beyond regimes investigated experimentally to date. The methods used are both analytical and numerical, and the work is closely linked to experiments.

Recent Work: My recent work has addressed correlations in both electronic systems (quantum wires, quantum dots, and interfaces between qualitatively different quantum materials) and photonic systems. While work on photonic systems is on the back burner at the moment, I have focused on two electronic projects this year:

1.   Interface between a quantum Hall insulator and a superconductor: Extensive numerical and analytical results on electron-hole hybrid quasi-particles at this interface. First set of results published with Finkelstein group. Theory papers in preparation. [with grad student Alexey Bondarev and undergrad Will Klein]  

2.   Numerical study of two-dimensional interaction models: Improved quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) approaches to 2D strongly correlated systems makes possible the study of phase diagrams. We have characterized the quantum phase transition and thermal critical regime for two classic condensed matter models (one quantum antiferromagnet and one with attractive interactions). [spearheaded by collaborator Ji-Woo Lee (Korea)]

Selected Grants


Quantum Phases in Nanosystems: Dissipation, Interactions, and Non-Equilibrium Phenomena

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Department of Energy · 2010 - 2021

Quantum machine learning for dissipative dynamics of NISQ devices

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Brookhaven National Laboratory · 2020 - 2020

Waveguide QED: Photon Correlations in Strongly Coupled Open Systems

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2011 - 2017

Enhancing Light-Matter Interfaces via Collective Self-Organization

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2012 - 2016

Development of dissipative resonant levels to study Majorana physics in nanotube quantum dots

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by Army Research Office · 2014 - 2015

Coherence and Correlations in Electronic Nanostructures

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2005 - 2009

Collaborative Research: Is Resilient Quantum Computing in Solid State Systems Possible?

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2005 - 2008

Coherence and Correlation in Electronic Nanostructures

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2001 - 2006

Robustness of Quantum Computing in Quantum Dots

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Army Research Office · 2002 - 2005

Electronic Properties of Nanostructures

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2002 - 2005

External Relationships


  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France
  • Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture

This faculty member (or a member of their immediate family) has reported outside activities with the companies, institutions, or organizations listed above. This information is available to institutional leadership and, when appropriate, management plans are in place to address potential conflicts of interest.