Biography
Dr. Yikai Yang completed his undergraduate education in theoretical physics at Lanzhou University in China. Afterwards, he enrolled in a Master's program at the University of Alberta in Canada with a research focus on unconventional superconductivity. After graduating, he temporarily left academia and worked in the industry for four years before returning to pursue a PhD at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he conducted research on quantum criticality in an Ising compound in the presence of a strong hyperfine interaction. He is set to begin his postdoctoral research in May 2023 at the University of Oxford in the group of Prof. Natalia Ares, where his research will focus on thermodynamic processes in the quantum regime and non-equilibrium states.
Research Interests
In the past few decades, experimental methods and techniques have made significant advances, enabling researchers to carry out experiments that were previously inaccessible. At our lab, we aim to leverage these advances in combination with cutting-edge technologies to study thermodynamics at the nanoscale and in the quantum regime. This includes research on quantum engines with superior efficiencies and devices that operate on the principles of quantum mechanics.
Additionally, we engage in fundamental research through collaborations with our expansive network, exploring new territories in the field of non-equilibrium physics, open quantum systems, and more. Furthermore, I am actively working to improve our understanding of quantum criticality in strongly correlated many-body systems using both analytical and numerical methods.
Current Projects
- Quantum engine using suspended Carbon nanotubes: a device that outputs useful work at high efficiency with a working principle hinges on the entanglement of two confined quantum particles.
- Quantum thermodynamics: testing thermodynamics and its extension in the quantum regime, as well as mesoscopic and microscopic systems.
- Non-equilibrium physics: primarily the transport properties and processes in carbon nanotube based quantum devices.
