Mark Saffman
American quantum computing physicist
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Mark Saffman is the Johannes Rydberg Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and Chief Scientist for Quantum Information at Infleqtion (formerly ColdQuanta)[1]. From 2019-2026 he was the Director of the Wisconsin Quantum Institute. He is known for his work on neutral-atom quantum computing using Rydberg interactions. In 2008, he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society for his contributions to atomic and optical physics[2] , and in 2014 he was named a Fellow of Optica for his contributions to neutral-atom quantum computing with Rydberg-state interactions[3] . In 2025, he was co-awarded the 9th John Stewart Bell Prize for pioneering contributions to quantum simulation and quantum computing with neutral atoms[4]. He is also the recipient of the 2026 Norman F. Ramsey Prize, awarded for outstanding contributions to atomic, molecular, and optical physics[5] .
- California Institute of Technology (BSc, 1981)
- University of Colorado Boulder (PhD, 1994)
- Rydberg blockade
- Neutral-atom quantum computing
- Fellow of the American Physical Society (2008)
- Fellow of Optica (2014)
- Norman F. Ramsey Prize (2026)
- Bell Prize (2026)
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| Thesis | Self-Organized Formation of Image Representations in Photorefractive Oscillations (1994) |
| Doctoral advisor | Dana Anderson |
Education and career
Saffman earned a BSc in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1981 and a PhD in physics from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1994.[6] After positions in industry and at Risø National Laboratory in Denmark, he joined the UW–Madison faculty in 1999, where he became associate professor in 2004 and full professor in 2007.[6] He has served as director of the Wisconsin Quantum Institute and has held editorial roles with Physical Review journals.[6]
Saffman has concurrently held an industry role as Chief Scientist for Quantum Information at ColdQuanta/Infleqtion since 2018.[6][7]
Research
Saffman’s research is in atomic physics, quantum optics, and quantum information processing with neutral atoms, especially using the Rydberg blockade mechanism to implement entangling quantum gates.[1] His review article “Quantum information with Rydberg atoms” (with T. G. Walker and K. Mølmer) in Reviews of Modern Physics helped consolidate the field.[8] His group reported deterministic entanglement of two neutral atoms via Rydberg blockade and a neutral-atom CNOT gate in 2010.[9]
Honors and awards
- Norman F. Ramsey Prize (APS), 2026.[5]
- 9th John Stewart Bell Prize, 2025 [4]
- WARF Professorship (UW–Madison), 2022.[10]
- Fellow, Optica (class of 2014).[3]
- Fellow, American Physical Society (2008).[2]
- Sloan Research Fellowship, (2001)
Selected publications
- Saffman, Mark; Walker, T. G.; Mølmer, Klaus (2010). "Quantum information with Rydberg atoms" (PDF). Reviews of Modern Physics. 82 (3): 2313–2363. arXiv:0909.4777. Bibcode:2010RvMP...82.2313S. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.82.2313.[8]
- Zhang, X. L.; Isenhower, L.; Gill, A. T.; Walker, T. G.; Saffman, Mark (2010). "Deterministic entanglement of two neutral atoms via Rydberg blockade". Physical Review A. 82 (3) 030306. arXiv:1007.0397. Bibcode:2010PhRvA..82c0306Z. doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.82.030306.[9]