Education on Joe Wiedemann

Doctor of Philosophy

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Dissertation Research

Princeton University
Anticipated Defense: December 2026

My thesis work has been in operationalizing sub-GHz Kinetic Inductance Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifiers (KI-TWPAs) for the Princeton Axion Search (PXS). PXS is laboratory-scale search for a dark matter particle candidate, the axion, at mass ranges the correspond to the transitional region between lumped-element and cavity haloscope search techniques.

The PXS search range poses unique challenges in developing quantum-limited readout schemes. The sensitivity requirements demand noise levels that approach the quantum limit, and significant operational bandwidth as the experiment sweeps through the search regime. Commerically available high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) amplifiers posses the bandwidth, but are 100 to 1000x above the target noise performance. Reflection-based, parametric amplifiers such as Josephson Parametric Amplifiers meet the noise requirements, but have narrow bandwidth that requires tuning prodedures that lead to significant experiment downtime.

Master of Arts

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Master of Arts in Physics

Princeton University
Awarded: January 2023

Atomic-based measurement systems provide exceptional sensitivity and create self-calibrating measurements because they utilize fundamental properties of a given atomic species. Developing atom-based sensors for microwave fields creates much more sensitive antennas, and removes the need to calibrate the specific antenna sensitivity. Rydberg atoms are atoms in highly excited states, which makes nearby energy states accessible with microwave fields. Depending on the atomic species and energy level, these systems can be designed for a range of frequencies such as 10 GHz all the way to 100 GHz. The primary drawback is the sensivity of these systems is limited by the linewidth of the lasers that drive the atoms into their energy state. There are solutions for exceptionally narrow laser linewidths, but they are very expensive and make it difficult to re-package this architecture.

Bachelor of Science

Fri, 28 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Bachelor of Science in Physics, with Honors

United States Naval Academy
Graduated: May 2021

Completed undergraduate studies at the United States Naval Academy with a focus on fundamentals of physics research, tabletop optics, and simulating open quantum systems. Because the Naval Academy is exclusively an undergraduate institution, I was able to get involved with research as early as the spring semester of my first year. Summer trainings that were a part of my education provided meaningful opportunities to see the challenges of integrating emergent technologies in real applications.