Homepage of Dr. Enrique (Erik) Blair

QCA is a highly interdisciplinary field of research. Electrical engineers, computer engineers, computer scientists, physicists, and chemists all have made significant contributions to the research literature on QCA.

QCA is a paradigm for transistor-less logic devices built from elementary devices called “cells.” Cells are structures having multiple quantum dots to localize mobile charge, and classical bits are encoded in the charge configuration of a cell. Cells couple locally to neighboring cells via the electric field, and arrays of cells are arranged to form logic devices. Cells may be implemented using mixed-valence molecules. Molecular devices offer ultra-high device densities, high-speed operation, and low power dissipation. See the video below for some examples of QCA circuitry at work. Devices like these could revolutionize the electronics industry.

Dr. Blair’s work in QCA has focused on the theory and modeling of power dissipation, electron transfer, and quantum decoherence in molecular QCA. His work includes a demonstration of methods for reducing power density by avoiding the dissipation of bit energies; a calculation of the upper bound for power dissipation in molecular QCA clocking circuitry; and a demonstration that environmentally-driven quantum decoherence stabilizes bits on molecular QCA.

Present work focuses on molecular design using ab initio modeling; device-level models of power dissipation; and design of QCA circuits.

Quantum computing promises methods to efficiently solve problems very difficult to solve classically. Quantum communication schemes are provably secure. We are using density functional theory (DFT) to explore new ways to implement quantum bits (qubits) in both crystalline materials and molecules. Also, machine learning could be leveraged in the design of these materials and molecules.

QCA is a highly interdisciplinary field of research. Electrical engineers, computer engineers, computer scientists, physicists, and chemists all have made significant contributions to the research literature on QCA.

QCA is a paradigm for transistor-less logic devices built from elementary devices called “cells.” Cells are structures having multiple quantum dots to localize mobile charge, and classical bits are encoded in the charge configuration of a cell. Cells couple locally to neighboring cells via the electric field, and arrays of cells are arranged to form logic devices. Cells may be implemented using mixed-valence molecules. Molecular devices offer ultra-high device densities, high-speed operation, and low power dissipation. See the video below for some examples of QCA circuitry at work. Devices like these could revolutionize the electronics industry.

Dr. Blair’s work in QCA has focused on the theory and modeling of power dissipation, electron transfer, and quantum decoherence in molecular QCA. His work includes a demonstration of methods for reducing power density by avoiding the dissipation of bit energies; a calculation of the upper bound for power dissipation in molecular QCA clocking circuitry; and a demonstration that environmentally-driven quantum decoherence stabilizes bits on molecular QCA.

This could unravel mysteries in the sense of olfaction with a wide range of applications. Such applications lie within the realms of safety and security, health and human performance. Some examples include:

• Safety and security. New and improved electronic noses could be placed in key locations to detect dangerous gasses or other harmful or explosive chemicals. This can improve safety at airports, military installations, and cities.
• Health and human performance. The human olfactory receptor is known to belong to a family of chemical receptors found throughout the human body, many of which are known to play a pivotal role in the body’s response to drugs. Insights gained from this work could transfer to other receptors within the mammalian nervous system and lead to enhanced drug designs and superior drug effectiveness models.
• Global health. A better understanding of olfaction could lead to new ways to mask odors and reduce the spread of vector-borne diseases, especially in the tropics.

• Colin Burdine (Ph.D. student)
• Nischal Gautam (Ph.D. student)
• Brooke Miller (undergraduate researcher)
• Cameron Hardin (undergraduate researcher)
• Jonathan Humphries (undergraduate researcher)

• Alex Rocque (B.S., 2026)
• DJ Coe (B.S., 2024)
• Luke McCubbin (B.S., 2024)
• Yuhui Lu, Ph.D. (scientific consultant)
• Joe Cong (Ph.D., 2022)
• Dylan Murphey (B.Eng., 2023)
• Shengyang Zhou (M.Eng., 2021)
• David Beggs (Comp. Sci., 2020)
• Heath McCabe (B.S., 2019)
• Joe Previti (B.S., 2019)
• Jackson Henry (M.S., 2019)
• Nishat Liza (M.S., 2019, Ph.D., 2022, postdoctoral researcher)
• Jack Ramsey (B.S., 2018)