Fan is a junior faculty member specializing in searches for physics beyond the Standard Model through precision measurements using ion traps and molecules. Included as a borderline quantum-sensing/precision-measurement case, analogous to eEDM-style molecular and ion-trap metrology elsewhere in the department.
Works on quantum photonics and microwave-to-optical quantum transduction, collaborating on interconnects to link superconducting quantum processors via optical quantum networks.
Faraon's group engineers light-matter interaction at the quantum level in nanophotonic devices, notably rare-earth-ion crystals coupled to nanocavities for optical quantum memories and spin-photon interfaces, and metasurface/meta-optic elements for imaging; work spans quantum networks and nanophotonic sensing. For context, this complements the established paradigm of NV-diamond ensemble magnetometry (Hahn-echo/DEER, nanoscale NMR, T1 relaxometry) operating near pT/√Hz sensitivity.
Synthesizes and characterizes molecular magnets and metal-organic frameworks, using spectroscopy and electronic structure methods to design molecular spin qubits for quantum information science.
Fayer's group develops and applies ultrafast 2D infrared spectroscopy to resolve structural dynamics of water, proteins, and complex fluids on femtosecond-to-picosecond timescales, pushing the temporal resolution of vibrational spectroscopy well past what linear methods can access.
Fejer develops engineered nonlinear-optical materials (periodically poled crystals, low-mechanical-loss optical coatings) used to generate squeezed light and to reduce thermal noise in precision interferometers, contributing core technology to the squeezed-light upgrades deployed in Advanced LIGO.
Feldman's group uses scanning NV-diamond magnetometry -- imaging local magnetic fields with a single spin at the tip of a scanning probe -- to visualize currents, magnetism, and correlated-electron order in moire and other quantum materials at the nanoscale, extending the sensitivity/resolution tradeoff of ensemble NV-diamond sensing (DEER/T1 protocols at pT/√Hz) down to single-spin, single-defect imaging.
Igor Ferrier-Barbut (CNRS DR, LCF/IOGS) works on dipolar and Rydberg quantum systems for quantum simulation. Research: (1) dipolar dysprosium (Dy) quantum gases — magnetic dipole-dipole interactions, supersolids, quantum droplets; (2) sub-wavelength structured atomic arrays as quantum simulation platforms; (3) collective light-matter interactions in dense cold-atom ensembles. Jacques Herbrand Grand Prize 2022. ERC Starting Grant (CORSAIR). Works in the Browaeys/Lahaye quantum optics group.
Prof. Figueroa-Feliciano leads Northwestern's experimental program in quantum sensing for particle physics. Key directions: (1) SuperCDMS SNOLAB — Northwestern's NU's role in the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search at SNOLAB (2 km underground in Canada), using ultra-pure Si and Ge crystals with superconducting TES sensors to detect low-mass dark matter (particles below the proton mass); in March 2026 the experiment reached operating temperature (<10 mK), transitioning to detector calibration for the first ever dark matter search at the site; (2) NEXUS facility at Fermilab: Northwestern-built test facility led by Figueroa-Feliciano for SuperCDMS detector calibration and for measuring how ionizing radiation affects superconducting qubits (published fall 2025); (3) Qubit-based quantum sensing: developing HVeV R&D devices with <1 eV resolution and qubit parity-detection techniques for eV-scale and sub-eV dark matter detection. Associate Vice President for Research at Northwestern; INQUIRE Executive Committee. Joint appointment at Fermilab.
Develops balloon-borne and ground-based cosmic microwave background instrumentation (e.g., SPIDER, BICEP-family experiments) to search for inflationary gravitational-wave signatures.