eQMA Fall 2026 Workshop: Harnessing Entanglement in Quantum Materials

Rationale and Scope:

Quantum entanglement is a foundational resource of quantum information science, yet robust methods for certifying and harnessing it in many-body settings are still emerging. A critical recent advance is the recognition that spin quantum Fisher information (QFI) provides a rigorous, experimentally accessible witness that can certify multipartite entanglement in condensed matter. Extractable from inelastic neutron scattering and related spectroscopies, the QFI is strongly enhanced in highly collective systems such as strange metals. This breakthrough has opened a concrete path towards quantifying and controlling entanglement in bulk quantum materials for the first time.

This workshop will cover a variety of materials platforms, with a particular focus on systems hosting active flat electronic bands that may well be topological. A related focus is on the highly tunable regime of quantum materials, where external stimuli can reshape the effective Hamiltonian and steer entanglement on demand. Certifying, controlling, and ultimately harnessing this entanglement could unleash next-generation quantum technology.

The workshop will survey the recent progress and future prospects for research in this emerging cross-cutting field. It will bring together experts and early-career researchers from communities with varied perspectives and involving a broad range of materials and device platforms, which include:

· Quantum entanglement in condensed-matter systems

· Entanglement witnesses

· Strange metals and other highly collective quantum materials

· Interplay between strong correlations and topology

· Quantum light coupling to matter

The workshop, organized by Rice University’s Extreme Quantum Materials Alliance (eQMA) in collaboration with the Smalley-Curl Institute (SCI), will bring together a diverse pool of theoretical and experimental experts on these topics. Specific topics to be discussed during the workshop include:

- The extent to which quantum information tools can advance the understanding of highly collective quantum materials.

- The prospect of quantum materials in the highly collective regime to realize new capacities for quantum technologies.

The total number of invited speakers will be about 20.

The registration fee is $60 for Rice University attendees, and $230 for non-Rice attendees. The registration fee is waived for the invited speakers and eQMA/RCQM/SCI faculty.

The workshop expects to have a (limited) number of junior fellowships to support non-Rice early-career participants.

Dates: October 28-October 30, 2026

Location: BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC), Rice University

Confirmed Invited Speakers:

James G. Analytis (UC Berkeley)

Meigan Aronson (UBC, Canada)

Charlotte Boettcher (Stanford U.)

Jennifer Cano (Stony Brook U.)

Songtao Chen (Rice U.)

Pengcheng Dai (Rice U.)

Ankit S Disa (Cornell U.)

Chunhui (Rita) Du (GA Tech)

Valla Fatemi (Cornell U.)

Gregory Fuchs (Cornell U.)

Sinéad Griffin (LBNL)

Geoffroy Hautier (Rice U.)

Andrew Higginbotham (U. Chicago)

Junichiro Kono (Rice U.)

James McIver (Columbia U.)

Filip Ronning (LANL)

Alan Tennant (U. Tennessee, Knoxville)

Yiming Wang (U. Toronto, Canada)

Stephen Wilson (UCSB)

Yonglong Xie (Rice U.)

Amir Yacoby (Harvard U.)

Ming Yi (Rice U.)

Hanyu Zhu (Rice U.)

Jian-Xin Zhu (LANL)

(additional speakers will be added as they are confirmed)

Format:

The workshop will last for nearly three days, incorporating invited speaker slots as well as two poster sessions to engage junior participants. We expect to select several contributed talks from contributed abstracts. The scientific program will start in the morning on Wednesday, October 28, and conclude by mid-Afternoon on Friday, October 30.

Organizers:

Pengcheng Dai (Rice University)

Valla Fatemi (Cornell University)

Filip Ronning (Los Alamos National Lab)

Qimiao Si (Rice University)

Yonglong Xie (Rice University)

Ming Yi (Rice University)

For questions on the scientific program, please contact one of the organizers.

For accommodation and other logistics questions, please contact Vivian Moyeda ([email protected]).

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