Johannes Pollanen

In my experimental research group at MSU, the [Laboratory for Hybrid Quantum Systems (LHQS)](http://www.hybridquantumlab.com/), comprised of trapped electrons, superconducting circuit based quantum bits (qubits), and color-center defects in diamond. We’re particularly interested in creating hybrid & synthetic quantum systems with novel properties and functionality by bringing together materials and devices with a variety of interacting degrees of freedom.

Extremely low temperatures (T ~ 10 mK) are required to produce the exotic quantum properties in the materials and devices that we investigate. These hybrid systems are prepared using modern nano-fabrication techniques available in the Keck Micro-fabrication Facility here at MSU. Once the samples and devices are ready, we cool them down in our state-of-the-art quantum measurement lab and use a diverse set of experimental techniques to study their fascinating quantum behavior and develop methods to control their properties at the level of single quantum excitations.

Before joining the Physics and Astronomy faculty at Michigan State University, [Johannes was an IQIM postdoctoral scholar](http://iqim.caltech.edu/profile/johannes-pollanen/?portfolioID=11574) at the [Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM)](http://iqim.caltech.edu/) at the California Institute of Technology working with [Prof. Jim Eisenstein.](http://www.its.caltech.edu/~je/) At Caltech, he studied the exotic properties and many-body quantum states of single and bilayer 2d electron systems in ultra-clean semiconductor heterostructures grown via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Recently, [Johannes and collaborators demonstrated a method for controlling the orientation of a class of 2d electronic liquid crystals known as the quantum Hall nematics and a highlight of the work can be found here.](http://iqim.caltech.edu/2015/11/20/eisenstein-group-demonstrates-method-to-control-orientation-of-exotic-quantum-states/)

Johannes earned his Ph.D. in 2012 from Northwestern University where he worked with [Prof. Bill Halperin](http://www.physics.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/core-faculty/william-halperin.html) in the [Low Temperature Physics Group](http://spindry.phys.northwestern.edu/) to understand the properties of complex many-particle quantum systems and engineer novel quantum mechanical forms of matter. [During this time, Johannes discovered a new chiral state of superfluid He, which he stabilized by introducing anisotropic disorder to the superfluid in the form of high porosity silica aerogel.](http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/v8/n4/full/nphys2246.html)

# Education:
* 2012: Ph.D., Northwestern University
* 2003: B.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill