Del Campo has contributed significantly to the development of shortcuts to adiabaticity, which are techniques designed to efficiently prepare quantum states.[5][6] His work has extended their application to encompass many-body quantum systems with continuous variables [7][8][9] and spin degrees of freedom.[10][11] These extensions have led to novel quantum algorithms combining the quantum circuit model of quantum computation with shortcuts to adiabaticity.
In partnership with Muga and Ruschhaupt, Del Campo edited the comprehensive volume titled "Time in Quantum Mechanics".[12] He has generalized the time-energy uncertainty relation by introducing quantum speed limits in open quantum systems[13] and classical systems.[14][15][16]
Working on quantum thermodynamics, Del Campo proposed using shortcuts to adiabaticity to enhance the performance of quantum heat engines and bounding the output power by means of quantum speed limits.[17][18] This approach motivated experiments demonstrating the suppression of quantum friction[19] and the realization of superadiabatic quantum engines. In collaboration with Jaramillo and Beau, Dr. Del Campo conducted pioneering theoretical research showcasing the quantum supremacy of many-body thermodynamic devices, establishing the superior performance of heat engines employing many-body working substances compared to their classical counterparts.[20]
Del Campo's contributions to the field of phase transitions expanded upon the Kibble–Zurek mechanism, which explains the creation of topological defects upon crossing critical points in both classical and quantum systems. Del Campo, in collaboration with Kibble and Zurek, introduced the Inhomogeneous Kibble-Zurek mechanism, a concept that involves spatially local driving to minimize defect formation during phase transitions.[21] This prediction has undergone experimental validation using various systems, including trapped ions[22][23] and ultracold gases. Additionally, Del Campo's work has uncovered universal features beyond the traditional Kibble-Zurek mechanism. He predicted the fluctuations in the number of topological defects to be universal,[24][25] with confirmation achieved through experiments using D-Wave devices.[26][27]
^Torrontegui, Erik; Ibáñez, Sara; Martínez-Garaot, Sofia; Modugno, Michele; del Campo, Adolfo; Guéry-Odelin, David; Ruschhaupt, Andreas; Chen, Xi; Muga, Juan Gonzalo (1 January 2013), "Shortcuts to Adiabaticity", in Arimondo, Ennio; Berman, Paul R.; Lin, Chun C. (eds.), Chapter 2 - Shortcuts to Adiabaticity, Advances in Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics, vol. 62, Academic Press, pp. 117–169, arXiv:1212.6343, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-408090-4.00002-5, ISBN9780124080904, S2CID118553513, retrieved 3 October 2023
Time in Quantum Mechanics - Vol. 2, Gonzalo Muga, Andreas Ruschhaupt, Adolfo del Campo (Eds.), (Springer LNP, 2011).
Assisted Finite-Rate Adiabatic Passage Across a Quantum Critical Point: Exact Solution for the Quantum Ising Model, Adolfo del Campo, Marek M. Rams, and Wojciech H. Zurek Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 115703 (2012).
Universality of Phase Transition Dynamics: Topological Defects from Symmetry Breaking, Adolfo del Campo and Wojciech H. Zurek, Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 29, 1430018 (2014).
Quantum speed limits across the quantum-to-classical transition, B. Shanahan, A. Chenu, N. Margolus, and A. del Campo Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 070401 (2018).