Dr. Narang leads the NarangLab at UCLA, an interdisciplinary group working on quantum materials, non-equilibrium dynamics, photonics, and quantum information science. The lab's focus is on the science that sits between these fields: how matter behaves when driven out of equilibrium, how light can be used to control it, and what that means for the materials that quantum technologies are built from.
Predicting how electrons, photons, and light-dressed collective excitations behave in materials especially those driven far from equilibrium — and using that control to reveal new phases of matter. Understanding quantum matter away from equilibrium is essential fundamental science and critical to next-generation quantum technologies. These systems pose formidable theoretical and experimental challenges, representing a vast frontier in modern physics.
Scalable quantum technologies require systems that coherently store and manipulate quantum states well enough for error correction. Discovering and designing systems that quantum technologies are built from: solid-state quantum memories, quantum defects, and the interconnects that link qubits into networks. The group's roadmap for quantum interconnects set out what a scalable quantum network will actually require from its materials.
Light as both probe and platform — photonic architectures for computation and communication, and photonics at the thermodynamic limits of energy conversion.
Across the stack, from circuit compilation and classical pre-processing that makes quantum devices useful for real molecules and materials to approaches that rely on fault tolerant quantum computers.
The phenomena involved in strong-field laser physics, condensed matter physics, and quantum electrodynamics (QED), all require exquisite control over photonic and electronic wave packets to either drive processes in matter or conduct (quantum) measurements and computation with unprecedented precision in both time and space at fundamental atomic scales. To address challenges in this field, Narang introduced theoretical and computational techniques to predict new states of quantum matter with strong light-matter coupling, specifically demonstrating an ab initio QED approach that treats electrons, photons and phonons on the same quantized footing [Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 113002, 2018, Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 193603, 2019, J Chem Phys. 154: 104109, 2021, Nature Communications 13: 7817, 2022, ACS Photonics 10 (2), 383-393, 2022] allowing the study of truly correlated electron-photon, photon-phonon dynamics and access to non-perturbative regimes of QED.
She has done critical work towards finding general principles for controlling, manipulating, and using the properties of quantum materials. Narang has led the development of ab initio computational physics approaches to light-matter coupling and non-equilibrium dynamics, and their application to the understanding, prediction, and design of quantum materials [see: Nature 617 (7959), 73-78 2023, Nature Physics 20, 788–793 2024, Nature Physics 20, 801–806 2024, Nature Physics 20, 1262–1268 2024]. She has reported, with collaborators across the world, several discoveries based on her framework for the design and light-induced manipulation of quantum heterostructures. Her work in this domain was recognized with the Maria Goeppert Mayer Award from the American Physical Society (APS) “For pioneering the development of ab initio computational physics approaches to light-matter coupling and non-equilibrium dynamics and their application to the understanding, prediction and design of quantum materials”.
In the past few years, Narang’s group has made critical contributions in discovering materials and hybrid quantum systems (“interconnects”) for quantum information science. She is addressing this long-standing challenge via a new generation of GPU-accelerated calculations to accurately predict optoelectronic properties and spin physics of nanoscopic quantum emitter systems in 2D and 3D materials. Using these new ab initio methods, the group has made predictions for the color centers in diamond, defects in hBN studied with correlated cathodoluminescence, photoluminescence and high-resolution electron microscopy, and directly linked atomic-scale tomography with electronic structure predictions. This work is changing the way quantum emitters are discovered, to a theory-driven approach and away from the historical approach of intuition-guided trial and error.
The ability to transduce quantum information between different physical modalities remains one of the key open challenges in quantum information science. Enabled initially by an NSF CAREER Award on ‘First Principles Design of Error-Corrected Solid-State Quantum Repeaters’, Narang is taking a bold approach with first-principles modeling and discovery of solid-state quantum systems that exhibit the required properties, tested by subsequent experiments, spectroscopy, and device-level performance [Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 247702, 2020, Phys Rev Research. 2: 043328, 2020, ACS Nano 15: 5240–5248, 2021]. This direction is overcoming several key problems in solid-state quantum technologies for quantum networks: it is developing theoretical methods to model and predict the properties of quantum defects quantitatively; protocols to characterize complex and coherently coupled solid-state quantum systems; and deploying them in practical quantum repeater nodes.
Further, these device-level and system-level calculations are synergistic with her efforts in quantum information science at the protocol level. For example, she recently demonstrated protocols for high-fidelity generation and purification of strongly entangled states with imperfect quantum hardware [Phys. Rev. Research 3 (3), 033164, 2021, Phys. Rev. Research 5 (3), 033171, 2023].
Ongoing work from her group that brings together quantum sensing, quantum materials, and photonics. One of the most promising avenues for quantum sensing involves the use of superconducting circuits, particularly in the context of measuring the electromagnetic responses of quantum materials. Quantum sensing can overcome these limitations by utilizing quantum resources to achieve sensitivities that are unattainable with classical strategies. These approaches are applicable across various experimental platforms and is a center-piece of DOE funded efforts in her lab.
Dr. Narang has held leadership roles across the U.S. quantum enterprise including the Quantum Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory under the National Quantum Initiative; DOE Energy Frontier Research Center Photonics at Thermodynamic Limits; NSF Center for Quantum Networks; and NSF funded MRSEC, QuIC-TAQS, QuSeC-TAQS, and Convergence Accelerator programs. The group's work is supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Naval Research, Army Research Office, DARPA, and others.
An interdisciplinary group at UCLA working on topics at the vibrant intersection of computational science, condensed matter theory, quantum photonics, and quantum information science.
A comprehensive record of peer-reviewed publications, citation metrics, and academic impact spanning quantum information science and computational materials physics
Dr. Narang is regularly quoted on quantum technology developments in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and other major outlets.
Core Memory, Ep. 81: Quantum Everything Explained
Episode 81: Quantum Everything Explained
Wide-ranging conversation on quantum computing and quantum technology: quantum vs. AI, the US vs. China, encryption-breaking timelines, quantum sensing, and the future of the field — plus work at UCLA and DCVC, and some running and mountaineering gear talk.
Prineha Narang receives nearly $2 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Funding the development of new quantum probes of matter that use entangled light.
"It can be a long road, and that's okay"
Physics World. On going the distance in science.