N Gifts for the Quantum Enthusiast

This versatile wrench set is at the top of our list. Walking into any quantum science lab, chances are you’ll see an optical table full of threaded holes. Hex wrenches are the *key* to fixing optics to the table when building an experiment, and they’re just as good for assembling IKEA furniture. Get a set or two as stocking stuffers!

Experiments often require lasers powerful enough to set paper on fire and blind your favorite experimentalist. While labs employ many protocols and layers of protection, there are still many occasions when laser safety goggles come in handy. Like when aligning optics at eye-level with lasers! Truth be told, they should definitely already have the proper laser safety eyewear, but it’s always good to have spares for visitors, and what’s better than the gift of not permanently damaging your eyesight? For a bespoke gift, make sure to choose a pair that corresponds to the laser wavelength(s) in their experiment.

Let’s be honest, some of us are barely holding it together this time of year. Why not give them (or yourself) a little help with this UV-cure epoxy? There are many varieties of adhesive to choose from, but this one comes highly recommended by editor Yi Zhu who needs to position optics like lenses and beam splitters with high precision and stability in his experiment. 

Sometimes it feels like experimentalists have all the fun toys—fear not! Hagoromo Fulltouch Chalk makes a perfect gift for the theorists in your life. This super smooth and dust free chalk is a cult classic among mathematicians and physicists (mathematicians in disguise). You can’t go wrong with the classic white, but there are plenty more options if you’re craving a thrill. Get the full color set for a statement gift, or perhaps treat them to the Fulltouch Large chalk for a big impact. 

And no need to worry about it arriving in time for Christmas. While Hagoromo Bungu, the producer of the Fulltouch Chalk closed its doors in 2015, luckily, the company Sejongmall purchased the Hagoromo brand and resumed production so that the strategic chalk stockpiles in math departments around the world were soon replenished. Experts assure us the top-notch quality remains unchanged!

Google the phrase "quantum computer" and chances are you'll see a picture of this: a dilution fridge (in this picture, and most others, it’s open, and not actually cooled down yet!). A dill fridge (as we call it) is not itself a quantum computer, but rather a device that uses multiple stages of cooling with helium isotopes to achieve temperatures ~0.01 Kelvin (about –459 degrees Fahrenheit). Quantum mechanical effects are most apparent at small energy scales, so it’s necessary to get really cold to see interesting physics or have a quantum computer operate without errors taking over, making a dill fridge a good home for superconducting qubits, entangled defects in diamonds, rare earth crystals, and other quantum platforms. But we think it’s also the perfect upgrade for that person in your life who can't stop raving about the wine chiller in their kitchen or the extra freezer in their garage. Choose a “wet” fridge for lower vibrations, or use a “dry” fridge if you want to skip the external liquid helium.