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Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics

Welcome

Welcome to the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics. True to the groundbreaking discoveries that have marked theoretical physics at Caltech, the Burke Institute will strengthen Caltech's leading role in humanity's quest to discover fundamental laws of nature and to explain natural phenomena at all scales—from subatomic, atomic, and molecular scales to the scales of celestial objects and the universe itself. Read more

Awards and Honors

All News
March 4, 2026
Elias Most Named 2026 Sloan Fellows
January 9, 2026
Preskill is a 2025 Highly Cited Researcher
August 1, 2024
Kitaev Wins Henri Poincaré Prize

News and Media Highlights

All News
February 9, 2026
John Preskill on NISQ, FTQC & Quantum's Future
January 9, 2026
Kim Berghaus featured in "Biggest breakthroughs in physics:2025"
October 9, 2025
New Directors Appointed to Burke Institute and Leinweber Forum

Seminars

All Events
March 20, 2026 12:00 pm

IQIM Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Seminar

East Bridge 114
Local Control in a Sr quantum computing demonstrator
Kevin Mours, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics,
March 23, 2026 4:00 pm

Quantum Matter Seminar

East Bridge 114
From Fabrication to System-Level Validation: Approaches toward High-Quality Superconducting Qubits
Chung-Ting Ke, Assistant Research Fellow, Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica Taiwan,
March 26, 2026 2:30 pm

IQIM Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Seminar

Annenberg 213
Samson Wang, IQIM Postdoctoral Scholar, Brandao and Preskill Groups,
Fernando Brandão
  • Faculty Interview

Fernando Brandão

The Power of Entanglement: A Conversation with Fernando Brandão

Read More About Fernando Brandão
Philip Hopkins
  • Faculty Interview

Philip Hopkins

Interactions in Space: An Interview with Philip Hopkins

Read More About Philip Hopkins
Hirosi Ooguri headshot
  • Faculty Interview

Hirosi Ooguri

Science Communication: A Conversation with Hirosi Ooguri

Read More About Hirosi Ooguri
Xie Chen
  • Faculty Interview

Xie Chen

Quantum Information Meets Condensed Matter: Inside the Mind of Xie Chen

Read More About Xie Chen
Kathryn Zurek
  • Faculty Interview

Kathryn Zurek

Shining New Light on Dark Matter

Read More About Kathryn Zurek
Barry Simon
  • Faculty Interview

Barry Simon

Lifetime of Numbers: Q&A with Barry Simon

Read More About Barry Simon
Jason Alicea
  • Faculty Interview

Jason Alicea

From Theory to Reality: An Interview with Jason Alicea

Read More About Jason Alicea
Cliff Cheung
  • Faculty Interview

Cliff Cheung

The Miracle and Beauty of Physics: An Interview with Cliff Cheung

Read More About Cliff Cheung

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