Hartmut Haeffner | Research UC Berkeley

Research Bio

Please refer to our the web-page at https://ions.berkeley.edu/.

Research Expertise and Interest

quantum information and computation, precision measurements, ion traps, quantum state engineering, decoherence, quantum simulations, quantum energy transport, quantum chaos, cryogenic electronics

In the News

A man with glasses and a blue jacket tinkers with equipment while looking at the camera

How UC Berkeley Is Expanding Quantum Research and Education

Berkeley physics professor speaks about the state of quantum information science on campus.

3-D ion trap viewed with an electron microscope

Fundamental Physics to Build Computers of the Future

Hartmut Haeffner, a 2022 Fellow with the UC Noyce Initiative, studies the properties and behaviors of isolated atoms— potential building blocks for quantum computers.

Trapped Ions Share a Wired Connection

Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley have persuaded two trapped ions to interact over a distance of 620 µm – much larger than would be possible via their intrinsic interaction – by connecting them with a room-temperature wire. This proof-of-principle experiment provides a pathway to more precise measurements of fundamental physics based on long-distance interactions between trapped particles.

Artist’s rendition of quantum entanglement

UC Berkeley to lead $25 million quantum computing center

As part of the federal government’s effort to speed the development of quantum computers, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded the University of California, Berkeley, $25 million over five years to establish a multi-university institute focused on advancing quantum science and engineering and training a future workforce to build and use quantum computers.

Graphic of earth's rotation in relation to sun.

Quantum computer as detector shows space is not squeezed

UC Berkeley physicists used partially entangled atoms identical to the qubits in a quantum computer to demonstrate more precisely than ever before – to one part in a billion billion – that space is uniform in all directions and not squeezed.

Five Early-Career Faculty Named Rose Hills Innovators

Five faculty researchers from diverse departments have been selected as the first recipients of support from the new Rose Hills Innovator Program at UC Berkeley.

Teaching

Courses taught during the three most recent terms

2026 Spring

Individual Study or Research [AST 299]
Seminars for Graduate Students [CHEM 298]
Research for Graduate Students [CHEM 299]
Introduction to Quantum Computing II [CHEM C191B]
Introduction to Quantum Computing II [EECS C191B]
Seminar [PHYSICS 290F]
Research [PHYSICS 299]
Introduction to Quantum Computing II [PHYSICS C191B]

2025 Fall

Individual Study or Research [AST 299]
Seminars for Graduate Students [CHEM 298]
Research for Graduate Students [CHEM 299]
Advanced Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics [PHYSICS 238B]
Seminar [PHYSICS 290F]
Research [PHYSICS 299]

2025 Summer

Supervised Independent Study [PHYSICS 199]
Supervised Independent Study [PHYSICS 199]
Research [PHYSICS 299]

2025 Spring

Individual Study or Research [AST 299]
Seminars for Graduate Students [CHEM 298]
Research for Graduate Students [CHEM 299]
Supervised Independent Study [PHYSICS 199]
Seminar [PHYSICS 290F]
Research [PHYSICS 299]
Introduction to Experimental Physics I [PHYSICS 5BL]