Mohammad Hafezi
Mohammad Hafezi | |
|---|---|
| Alma mater | Sharif University of Technology École Polytechnique Harvard University (PhD) |
| Known for | Topological photonics |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics, quantum optics, topological photonics, Quantum simulation |
| Workplaces | University of Maryland, College Park Joint Quantum Institute |
Mohammad Hafezi is a physicist and the Minta Martin Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he holds a joint appointment in the Department of Physics and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.[1][2] He is a Fellow of the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), a joint institute of the University of Maryland and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.[1] In 2021, he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society "for pioneering theoretical and experimental work in topological photonics and quantum synthetic matter".[3]
Early life and education
As a student, Hafezi won a silver medal at the 29th International Physics Olympiad, held in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1998.[4] He studied for two years at Sharif University of Technology before completing his undergraduate degree in physics at the École Polytechnique in France in 2003.[1] He received his PhD in physics from Harvard University in 2009.[1]
Career
After his doctorate, Hafezi was a research associate at the Joint Quantum Institute before joining the University of Maryland faculty in 2014.[5] He was promoted to full professor with tenure in 2021[6] and holds the Minta Martin professorship.[1] He is a Fellow of the Joint Quantum Institute and the Quantum Technology Center, and an affiliate of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science at Maryland.[2]
Research
Hafezi's research involves theoretical and experimental investigation of quantum properties of light-matter interaction, for applications in classical and quantum information processing and sensing.[1]
Early in his career, Hafezi worked on quantum simulation proposals of systems that host topologically ordered many-body states on a lattice, of the kind later called fractional Chern insulators. In particular, he proposed schemes for realizing fractional quantum Hall states with ultracold atoms in optical lattices.[7] Because neutral atoms do not couple directly to a magnetic field, such proposals required synthesizing an effective (artificial) gauge field to reproduce the physics of charged particles in a magnetic field. Following this work on neutral atoms, Hafezi turned to exploring topological physics for other neutral particles—in particular photons—which similarly do not experience a magnetic field directly.
In 2011, Hafezi and collaborators proposed that photons in arrays of coupled optical ring resonators could exhibit topologically protected edge transport, providing robustness against fabrication disorder.[8] His team subsequently demonstrated topological edge states of light on a silicon chip[9] and the first direct measurement of topological invariants in a photonic system.[10]
His group extended these ideas to quantum light, demonstrating a topological source of quantum light based on correlated photon pairs[11] and, with collaborators, a topological interface for quantum emitters.[12] In 2024, his group reported the observation of topological frequency combs in nested photonic resonator arrays.[13]
His research group also studies the use of quantum-optical techniques to probe and control correlated electron systems.[14]
Honors and awards
- 1998 – Silver medal, 29th International Physics Olympiad (Reykjavík, Iceland)[4]
- 2015 – Sloan Research Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation[15]
- 2015 – Young Investigator Program award, Office of Naval Research[15]
- 2019, 2020 – Finalist, Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists, Physical Sciences & Engineering[16]
- 2020 – Simons Investigator in Physics, Simons Foundation[6]
- 2021 – Fellow of the American Physical Society, "For pioneering theoretical and experimental work in topological photonics and quantum synthetic matter."[3][5][15]
- 2025 – Humboldt Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation[14]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hafezi, Mohammad". Department of Physics, University of Maryland. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Mohammad Hafezi". Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science, University of Maryland. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "APS Fellow Archive – Mohammad Hafezi". American Physical Society. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Mohammad Hafezi – Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Joint Quantum Institute. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Mohammad Hafezi Named 2021 APS Fellow". Quantum Technology Center, University of Maryland. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Mohammad Hafezi promoted to full professor". Quantum Technology Center, University of Maryland. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ Hafezi, M.; Sørensen, A. S.; Demler, E. A.; Lukin, M. D. (2007). "Fractional quantum Hall effect in optical lattices". Physical Review A. 76 (2) 023613. arXiv:0706.0757. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.76.023613.
- ↑ Hafezi, M.; Demler, E. A.; Lukin, M. D.; Taylor, J. M. (2011). "Robust optical delay lines with topological protection". Nature Physics. 7: 907–912. arXiv:1102.3256. doi:10.1038/nphys2063.
- ↑ Hafezi, M.; Mittal, S.; Fan, J.; Migdall, A.; Taylor, J. M. (2013). "Imaging topological edge states in silicon photonics". Nature Photonics. 7: 1001–1005. arXiv:1302.2153. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2013.274.
- ↑ Mittal, S.; Ganeshan, S.; Fan, J.; Vaezi, A.; Hafezi, M. (2016). "Measurement of topological invariants in a 2D photonic system". Nature Photonics. 10: 180–183. doi:10.1038/nphoton.2016.10.
- ↑ Mittal, S.; Goldschmidt, E. A.; Hafezi, M. (2018). "A topological source of quantum light". Nature. 561: 502–506. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0478-4.
- ↑ Barik, S.; Karasahin, A.; Flower, C.; Cai, T.; Miyake, H.; DeGottardi, W.; Hafezi, M.; Waks, E. (2018). "A topological quantum optics interface". Science. 359 (6376): 666–668. arXiv:1711.00478. doi:10.1126/science.aaq0327.
- ↑ Flower, C. J.; Jalali Mehrabad, M.; Xu, L.; Moille, G.; Suarez-Forero, D. G.; Örsel, O.; Bahl, G.; Chembo, Y.; Srinivasan, K.; Hafezi, M. (2024). "Observation of topological frequency combs". Science. 384 (6702). doi:10.1126/science.ado0053.
- 1 2 "Mohammad Hafezi receives Humboldt Research Award, strengthening his collaboration with the MPSD". Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter. August 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "UMD Physicists Elected APS Fellows". Department of Physics, University of Maryland. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
- ↑ "Hafezi, Mohammad". Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, University of Maryland. Retrieved 1 July 2026.