Andrea Iorio

Researcher, physicist, photographer

About me

Hi 👋🏻 I’m Andrea, a quantitative researcher and quantum physicist.

I completed my PhD in 2023 at Scuola Normale Superiore (Pisa, Italy), conducting research on experimental superconducting quantum systems. In the fall of 2022, I interned at Google (Santa Barbara, US), working with the Quantum AI team on Josephson parametric amplifiers and qubit readout.

I have authored or co-authored nearly a dozen peer-reviewed publications and have served as referee for various physics journals, covering topics ranging from mesoscopic physics to quantum computing.

In 2024, I transitioned to quantitative finance and started working as a quantitative researcher.

In my free time, I enjoy hiking and landscape photography. On my blog, I post about physics, coding and scientific outreach.

  1. Quantitative Researcher

  2. Doctor of Philosophy

    Scuola Normale Superiore

    Nanoscience

    Cum laude

  3. Research Intern

    Google

    Quantum AI

  4. Master's degree

    University of Pisa

    Condensed Matter Physics

    110/110 cum laude

  5. Bachelor's degree

    University of Pisa

    Physics

    110/110 cum laude

Research

My PhD thesis
My PhD thesis

In the last decades, superconducting circuits have explosively advanced, enabling the routine exploitation of quantum effects in solid-state quantum technologies. The Josephson effect underlies this development, yet many questions persist. My PhD thesis explores fundamental and applied aspects of superconducting circuits using Josephson weak-links. Titled “Superconducting circuits with metallic and semiconducting weak-links”, it can be accessed here.

Amplification at the quantum limit
Amplification at the quantum limit

At Google, the Quantum AI team is building a useful quantum computer using superconducting circuits. Making a quantum computer function well involves fine-tuning different parts, and parametric amplifiers are key components as they allow fast single-shot readout of superconducting qubits. However, optimising their performance is not an easy task. For more on my work with the Quantum AI team, see this Google blog post.

A quantum phase battery
A quantum phase battery

A classical battery converts chemical energy into a persistent voltage bias capable of powering electronic circuits. Similarly, a phase battery is a quantum device that provides a continuous phase bias to the wavefunction of a superconducting circuit. In our research, we achieved the first demonstration of a phase battery in a nanowire-based Josephson junction. Read more in Nature Nanotechnology.

Half-integer Shapiro steps
Half-integer Shapiro steps

Shapiro steps are quantized voltage plateaus that emerge in a Josephson junction under an alternating bias, forming the foundation of the metrological voltage standard. Our research uncovered an unexpected half-integer quantization, and we delved into its origin in a Josephson junction based on a nanoflag. Read more here.

Complete list of publications on Google Scholar.

Photography

Latest posts

Light diffraction at the Golden Gate Bridge
12 Feb 2024 Light diffraction at the Golden Gate Bridge

I recently dedicated some time to organizing and reviewing the many photos I captured last year. Personally, I find this process quite tedious: I end up jumping from one picture to another in collections of almost-but-not-totally identical shots, attempting to identify the best one. The same destiny awaited some photos taken at the Golden Gate Bridge. However, one of them made my post-processing session much more enjoyable. Since it is related to physics, my first love, I felt compelled to write about it and it gave me an excuse to procrastinate again! (...)

My first post
17 Jan 2024

Hey there, reader! Exciting times – this marks my first blog post after giving my website a much-needed makeover. It lingered on my to-do list, patiently waiting for my PhD to wrap up. Built with Hugo and styled with Tailwind, the entire experience was a rediscovery after a prolonged absence from serious online development. I also included a new Photography section, powered by this excellent module. I’ll make an effort to keep it updated, as I no longer feel other platforms are suitable for sharing my work. (...)