Aaron D. O'Connell

Aaron D. O'Connell
File:Aaron OConnell.jpg
Born	Aaron Douglas O'Connell (1981-03-05) March 5, 1981 Allentown, Pennsylvania
Residence	Belmont, California
Nationality	American
Citizenship	United States
Education	University of California, Santa Barbara (Ph.D., 2010) Eckerd College (B.S., 2005)
Alma mater	University of California, Santa Barbara Eckerd College
Known for	Creator of the first quantum machine

Aaron Douglas O'Connell (born March 5, 1981 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American experimental quantum physicist. While working under Andrew N. Cleland and John M. Martinis at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he created the world's first quantum machine. In particular, he was able to transfer the quantum state of a superconducting quantum bit, a device used in quantum computation, to the motional state of a macroscopic mechanical resonator. His measurements of the quantum machine constitute the first direct observations of quantized behavior in the motion of a visible object and led the journal Science to honor his work as the "Breakthrough of the Year" of 2010.

O'Connell spoke on the subject at TED2011 in Long Beach, California.

Academic career

O'Connell received his bachelor's degree from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2005, and his Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2010.

External links

• Geoff Brumfiel's interview of Aaron D. O'Connell; Nature podcast