In this FAU LMQ People Spotlight, we interviewed our member Davide Lonigro, who is senior scientist at the Chair for Theoretical Physics since 2024.
What is your research topic?
My research activities lie at the boundary between theoretical and mathematical physics. Quantum mechanics is their common denominator. I am particularly invested in studying the influence of the external environment on quantum systems, which gives rise to phenomena like decoherence and noise that significantly limit our ability to use the quantumness of nature to our advantage. This naturally led me to the study of infinite-dimensional quantum systems, a journey which requires advanced mathematical tools from functional analysis.
How is your research linked to the research foci of the FAU LMQ?
Light is a boson field, and boson fields are the paradigmatic example of quantum systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom. Even the simplest toy models of light–matter interaction, like spin–boson models, are harbingers of some surprising phenomena that I have been researching: non-Markovianity, decay, renormalization. And of course, quantum technologies are always in sight: to control nature, you must first understand it.
Why exactly this topic/these topics?
Like many things in life, this mostly happened by chance. As a student, I instantly connected with quantum mechanics as a research area that could combine my interest in both physics and mathematics—and I think I made the right call. All subsequent turns in my journey through the forest of science were mostly driven by the influence of people I encountered on the way, my personal curiosity, and once again chance.
Who in the Profile Center do you hope to collaborate with in the future?
Potentially everyone: I enjoy exchanging ideas and collaborating with people from different backgrounds. Of course, as a theoretician, I am more likely to establish collaborations with fellow theoreticians—but who knows.
When I am not working as a scientist, then …
I enjoy my hobbies and interests like anyone else. Among them, I am a regular gym goer, and I enjoy hiking or cycling in the countryside. I greatly value my work–life balance: being a scientist is ultimately a job—a wonderful one, which I would not change for anything else, but still a job, and a demanding one. Enjoying my time off work is a must for me, and helps me coming back to work with a clear mind.
Do you have a secret talent?
I would not call it secret—and hardly a talent—but I am fairly capable of recognizing patterns in things, finding connections between apparently unrelated topics, and focusing myself on the bigger picture: in a word, abstracting. This helped me many times during my career.
What does a typical day in your working life look like?
You would typically find me either in front of my laptop, writing or reading papers, or hanging in front of a blackboard scribbling equations. But I also have regular meetings, either with my collaborators around the world or with the members of the ConQuEr team here in Erlangen. We are a young group full of gifted students, and I am lucky enough to accompany them during the first part of their journey. Lastly, you would increasingly often find me preparing or giving lectures.
Where do you see the FAU LMQ in 5 or 10 years?
Future predictions are always a slippery topic, especially in these crazy, unpredictable times from which scientists are not always safe. I would be more than happy to see the LMQ continue to excel while ensuring researchers the stability and scientific independence we need to do our job in the best possible way.
In this FAU LMQ People Spotlight, we interviewed our member Davide Lonigro, who is senior scientist at the Chair for Theoretical Physics since 2024.
What is your research topic?
My research activities lie at the boundary between theoretical and mathematical physics. Quantum mechanics is their common denominator. I am particularly invested in studying the influence of the external environment on quantum systems, which gives rise to phenomena like decoherence and noise that significantly limit our ability to use the quantumness of nature to our advantage. This naturally led me to the study of infinite-dimensional quantum systems, a journey which requires advanced mathematical tools from functional analysis.
How is your research linked to the research foci of the FAU LMQ?
Light is a boson field, and boson fields are the paradigmatic example of quantum systems with infinitely many degrees of freedom. Even the simplest toy models of light–matter interaction, like spin–boson models, are harbingers of some surprising phenomena that I have been researching: non-Markovianity, decay, renormalization. And of course, quantum technologies are always in sight: to control nature, you must first understand it.
Why exactly this topic/these topics?
Like many things in life, this mostly happened by chance. As a student, I instantly connected with quantum mechanics as a research area that could combine my interest in both physics and mathematics—and I think I made the right call. All subsequent turns in my journey through the forest of science were mostly driven by the influence of people I encountered on the way, my personal curiosity, and once again chance.
Who in the Profile Center do you hope to collaborate with in the future?
Potentially everyone: I enjoy exchanging ideas and collaborating with people from different backgrounds. Of course, as a theoretician, I am more likely to establish collaborations with fellow theoreticians—but who knows.
When I am not working as a scientist, then …
I enjoy my hobbies and interests like anyone else. Among them, I am a regular gym goer, and I enjoy hiking or cycling in the countryside. I greatly value my work–life balance: being a scientist is ultimately a job—a wonderful one, which I would not change for anything else, but still a job, and a demanding one. Enjoying my time off work is a must for me, and helps me coming back to work with a clear mind.
Do you have a secret talent?
I would not call it secret—and hardly a talent—but I am fairly capable of recognizing patterns in things, finding connections between apparently unrelated topics, and focusing myself on the bigger picture: in a word, abstracting. This helped me many times during my career.
What does a typical day in your working life look like?
You would typically find me either in front of my laptop, writing or reading papers, or hanging in front of a blackboard scribbling equations. But I also have regular meetings, either with my collaborators around the world or with the members of the ConQuEr team here in Erlangen. We are a young group full of gifted students, and I am lucky enough to accompany them during the first part of their journey. Lastly, you would increasingly often find me preparing or giving lectures.
Where do you see the FAU LMQ in 5 or 10 years?
Future predictions are always a slippery topic, especially in these crazy, unpredictable times from which scientists are not always safe. I would be more than happy to see the LMQ continue to excel while ensuring researchers the stability and scientific independence we need to do our job in the best possible way.