Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos | Tommy Chin

Tommy Chin - PhD Candidate - Graduate Student

Office: 301D Whitmore Laboratory

Address: 104 Davey Lab, Box 189, University Park PA 16802

Email: wjc5509@psu.edu

Phone: 6692331822

Tommy (he/him) is a Verne M. Willaman Distinguished Graduate Fellow at Penn State. Working with Prof. Sarah Shandera in the intersection of quantum information, quantum cosmology, and quantum thermodynamics, Tommy is studying the dynamics of open quantum systems, with the long term goal of developing a quantum theory of cosmology. Tommy graduated Summa cum Laude from San José State University in 2022, with a B.S. in Physics and a minor in Mathematics. Outside of physics, Tommy enjoys political comedy, activism, piano, rock climbing, and scuba diving.

Click here to view my website

Publications

Sean Prudhoe, Unnati Akhouri, Tommy Chin, Sarah Shandera, "Effective dynamics of qubit networks via phase-covariant quantum ensembles." (2024)

The IGC wordmark was created by Monica Rincon Ramirez, while she was a graduate student at the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos (IGC). Monica enjoys drawing new connections between fundamental theory and observations. Her graduate work includes specialized topics in general relativity, loop quantum gravity, and quantum fields in cosmological backgrounds. In particular, her thesis work focused on finding effective quantum corrections to gravitational phenomena from spinfoams, and applications to cosmology. She received her PhD in 2024.

The wordmark symbolizes the scope and variety of research at the IGC. The base of the image represents quantum gravity, evoking the quantum geometrical picture from spinfoams and loop quantum gravity. These are among the approaches to fundamental questions studied at the Center for Fundamental Theory. The middle of the image represents the Center for Theoretical and Observational Cosmology by galaxies embedded in a smooth surface, characteristic of spacetime in general relativity and the much larger physical scales studied in cosmology. Finally, at the top, the surface curves to an extreme, representing a supermassive black hole accompanied by an energetic jet. These elements depict an active galactic nucleus, inspired by Centaurus A. Just to the right, a pair of black holes approaches merger. This top portion of the wordmark represents the Center for Multimessenger Astrophysics, which specializes in the study of high-energy phenomena in the universe.