Theoretical physicist (quantum information + quantum thermodynamics) at QuICS, author of Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday's Tomorrowhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mrschttwbk2eMore real-world #steampunk, at the Smithsonian Castle.29 Jul 2026 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrschttwbk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mrprza6njk23I learned about the Twitter account @MarkWiseSays from John Preskill's eulogy for Mark. I heard all the tweets in his voice; and I laughed so hard, I cried. https://x.com/preskill/status/207849902136751326728 Jul 2026 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrprza6njk23https://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mrnbrxpydk2tMark Wise might have been able to make it as a standup comedian, but I’m grateful he taught physics instead. @caltech.edu @caltechalumni.bsky.social @perimeterinstitute.bsky.social @preskill.bsky.social https://quantumfrontiers.com/2026/07/26/wise-guy/27 Jul 2026 16:08 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrnbrxpydk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mrd7rqzzy22eOne of the most famous problems in quantum thermo is to define work and heat. The problem is hairiest if the system and environment couple strongly. We collated 3 definitions and checked which are up to snuff. Thanks to Phys. Rev. E for the Editors' Suggestion! https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/66j9-cwvx23 Jul 2026 16:06 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrd7rqzzy22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mq7w5catdk27Congratulations to David Zierler @zierlerdavid.bsky.social on publishing this retrospective on Caltech @caltech.edu! I'm honored to be included. Now, I just need a coffee table worthy of the book...09 Jul 2026 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mq7w5catdk27https://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mpyho4mgi22zIn Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the character C.M.O.T. Dibbler offers just about every food "onna stick." Kaden Hazzard's talk at the Simons Center was about putting just about any quantum system inna cavity. (Not that Kaden resembles Dibbler otherwise.)06 Jul 2026 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpyho4mgi22zhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mpocee4xuc2eCopies of the Greek translation of Quantum Steampunk have finally arrived! If you want to learn the letters on the cover, study physics.02 Jul 2026 15:01 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpocee4xuc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mpgr755syc2oAs the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence provided the backdrop for many discoveries and innovations. What better location for a physics conference? https://quantumfrontiers.com/2026/06/28/the-physicists-of-florence/29 Jun 2026 15:05 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpgr755syc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3moxsbnydak2yA main point of the program happening @SimonsCenter is that quantum complexity is a useful notion throughout many-body physics. A main point of this talk is that uncomplexity is a useful resource in quantum computation. Thanks for hosting me! https://scgp.stonybrook.edu/video/video.php?id=774023 Jun 2026 16:14 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3moxsbnydak2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3movggntnck2bPossibly my favorite part of Robert Koenig's talk @SimonsCenter: he said "stabilizer generator," in full, whenever he meant it. I often hear "stabilizer" instead, but stabilizers are mathematical objects different from stabilizer generators. #typeclasses22 Jun 2026 17:37 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3movggntnck2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mol3xqiglk2wKavan Modi believes we should be thinking about quantum many-time processes similarly to quantum many-body systems. Does anyone else see an avocado? @SimonsCenter18 Jun 2026 15:03 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mol3xqiglk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3modtxrdylk2sJust arrived at my temporary apartment. The kitchen contains four coffee-making devices, and a previous guest left a(n appealing-looking) paper about many-body localization in one of the bedrooms. This is definitely a Simons Center apartment.15 Jun 2026 17:51 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3modtxrdylk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mo44j7st5c2hAction shot of theoretical physics in progress. Thanks to the Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation for sponsoring (until-this-spring) undergrad researcher Hubert Povilas, shown here and for taking the photo (without our realizing!).12 Jun 2026 16:03 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mo44j7st5c2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mnukpjt4xk2vCongratulations to all the prize winners (a small sample of which is shown here) from the poster session at "Quantum Thermodynamics at Decoherence"! Thanks to the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology for sponsoring the awards.09 Jun 2026 15:56 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnukpjt4xk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mnkgb6myzk2dIt was an utter delight to gather with so many researchers keen on furthering and applying quantum thermodynamics. This week's symposium included participants from cosmology, solid-state physics, quantum optics, Shannon theory, and more. Join us again next spring in Cambridge, MA!05 Jun 2026 15:10 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnkgb6myzk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mni5ta5yrk2lOne of quantum thermodynamics's greatest achievements, in my opinion, is the hijacking of the research program of Mark Wilde @markwilde.bsky.social, AKA Mr. Quantum Shannon Theory.04 Jun 2026 17:33 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mni5ta5yrk2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mnhxghvjak2fBrilliant keynote/public lecture by science journalist and novelist Mark Alpert at "Quantum Thermodynamics and Decoherence." On scientists and writers: "We’re both trying to make sense of the world."04 Jun 2026 15:39 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnhxghvjak2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mnfi57oiac2hIs it useful to define a work (or work-type) observable in quantum contexts, or isn't it? The debate, having had its ups and downs over the years, reopened recently. Giulia Rubino adds to the conversation in the first talk at the symposium "Quantum Thermodynamics and Decoherence."03 Jun 2026 16:00 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnfi57oiac2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mnfcfe4ojc2eSwag from the Center for Coherence and Quantum Science at the University of Rochester! The text on the keychains is etched on my heart, too. May I take a whole handful? 😆03 Jun 2026 14:17 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnfcfe4ojc2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mnaiwz64uc2rLooking forward to visiting Rochester for “Quantum Thermodynamics and Decoherence” this week. If you’re in the area, stop by at least for the public lecture! Author Mark Alpert will talk about bridging quantum science and writing. https://www.umiacs.umd.edu/news-events/news/umd-co-host-quantum-thermodynamics-symposium-exploring-science-and-storytelling01 Jun 2026 16:31 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnaiwz64uc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mmwfht7c2k2rI’m a bit floored that there are, by now, several followup papers from various groups about the non-Abelian eigenstate thermalization hypothesis. Here’s our first test of it. Much still remains to be done! https://journals.aps.org/pre/abstract/10.1103/j8xb-xfln28 May 2026 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmwfht7c2k2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mmesbrbjyc2iFailure and rejection are famously key parts of science. Less famous are recipes for overcoming these hurdles. Here’s a prescription for dimming the pain, sweeping up the pieces, and moving forward—and descriptions of some of my favorite failures. https://quantumfrontiers.com/2026/05/20/nicoles-guide-to-handling-failure-and-rejection/21 May 2026 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmesbrbjyc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mllncw7bq222A student in my course crocheted a cat for me! (We read Ursula K. LeGuin's 1974 short story "Schrödinger's cat.") It’s making friends with the owl another student gave me a few years ago.11 May 2026 15:58 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mllncw7bq222https://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mle44txuqk2wOk, own up. Who are you?08 May 2026 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mle44txuqk2whttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3ml73jl2tp22sHow do you collaborate between departments as disparate as physics and English? Thanks to the audience at this panel for the thought-provoking questions and to the U. of Maryland library for hosting quantum steampunk at its “Speculative Futures” event!06 May 2026 16:08 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml73jl2tp22shttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3ml4kqionwc2sDon't know who wrote this, but somebody was excited about workshopping quantum-steampunk short stories in class last week... @umdbiochemphys.bsky.social05 May 2026 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml4kqionwc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mksfpokkts2jMaryland is so quantum, even the buses contain quantum technologies.01 May 2026 15:06 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksfpokkts2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mkniiyeeak24Astute observation by Chinmay Nirkhe: English has the perfect word for when a quantum oracle suffices for verifying a proof but no classical oracle does---when you can confirm but not describe/explain something: ineffable. Thanks for the QuICS Seminar (and adorable pictures)!29 Apr 2026 16:12 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkniiyeeak24https://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mkavphnmxk2nThanks to Billy Braasch for guest-lecturing about quantum thermodynamics in the quantum-steampunk-creative-writing course! I wouldn’t have drawn Maxwell’s demon nearly as well…24 Apr 2026 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkavphnmxk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/nicoleyh11.bsky.social/post/3mk6f5xouik2jExtra motivation for students and postdocs to come to this week's group meeting: my husband baked us ginger–molasses cookies!23 Apr 2026 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:3i2wsslfvbfakqoihhjvbvkj/app.bsky.feed.post/3mk6f5xouik2j