The position states of the harmonic oscillator describe
the location of a particle moving on the real line. Similarly, the
phase difference between two superconductors on either side of a
Josephson junction takes values in the configuration space of a
particle on a circle. More generally, many physical systems can be
described by a basis of ``position states,'' describing a particle
moving on a more general configuration or state space. Most of this
space is usually ignored due to the energy cost required to pin a
particle to a precise ``position''. However, as our control over quantum
systems improves, utilizing more of this higher-energy space harbors
benefits for protecting quantum information and probing quantum
matter. I will discuss quantum applications taking advantage of state
spaces associated with the harmonic oscillator, as well as molecular
rotational and nuclear states.\\

Bio: Victor V. Albert received his Bachelor's degree in physics
and mathematics from the University of Florida in 2010 and his
Ph.D. in physics from Yale University in 2017. He is currently a Lee
A. DuBridge Postdoctoral Scholar in Physics at the California
Institute of Technology. He pursues an interdisciplinary line of
research in quantum science, including open quantum systems,
error-correction, experimental realizations, and topological band
theory.

This is the first talk in a series on ``Sato-Tate
distributions''. See https://sites.google.com/view/vantageseminar for a
complete listing.