PNNL

Erik Lentz is a physicist in the Detection Physics Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Lentz enjoys bringing novel perspectives to challenging problems, often incorporating multiple disciplines. Consequently, his research interests are numerous, including dark matter detection, modeling cosmological structure formation, many-body physics, radio frequency (RF) signal processing, quantum sensing, classical and quantum information theory, and applications of general relativity. 

Lentz has been a key member of the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) collaboration since 2015 and his work has furthered the experimental, phenomenological, and theoretical facets of axion dark matter research. During 2015 to 2017, Lentz worked to commission and operate the ADMX “Gen 2” flagship experiment, leading to the world's first limits on Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnitsky axions, where he formed the data-collection run plans, directed the run's data taking, and wrote an axion search analysis pipeline. 

Since joining PNNL in 2021, Lentz has grown his interests in many-body physics into information theory and quantum information science. He has contributed heavily to developing a microwave quantum sensing capability at PNNL. He has also led an advanced detector R&D effort to build high-mass (< 100 ueV) axion detector arrays, and a capability developing effort to build a Heisenberg-limited cavity haloscope array. Lentz currently leads a Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project to develop RF software tools to detect, localize, and quantify information-laden signals using entropic techniques.

• Dark matter detection
• Quantum sensing
• Information theory (quantum and classical)
• Gravitation and cosmology
• Many-body physics of condensates
• RF signal processing
• Superconducting device characterization
• Space-based techno-signature detection

• Doctor of Philosophy, Physics, University of Washington 
• Master’s, Physics, University of Washington 
• Bachelor’s, Space Physics, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Arizona 

• Member, American Physical Society (APS)
• Reviewer for Classical and Quantum Gravity and for the Department of Energy High Energy Physics program
• Workshop organizer and Session Chair for “Axion Experiments in Germany,” 2019, Goettingen, Germany

• LDRD Seed Project Award, National Security Directorate, PNNL (2022)

2024

• Lentz, E. W. 2024. "Heisenberg Limited Multi-cavity Axion Haloscopes." Abstract submitted to 19th Patras Workshop on Axions WIMPs and WISPs, Patras, Greece. PNNL-SA-200691.
• Lentz, E. W., and R. C. Felton. 2024. "Motivating Emission from Positive Energy Warp Bubbles." arXiv. [Preprint]. PNNL-SA-198722. 
• Lentz, E. W., and R. C. Felton. 2024. "Motivating Technosignature Searches for Positive Energy Super-luminal Spacecraft." Presented by E.W. Lentz at AbSciCon, Providence, Rhode Island. PNNL-SA-198169.
• Lentz, E. W., and R. C. Felton. 2024. "Motivating Technosignatures of Positive Energy Warp Drives." Abstract submitted to Astrobiology Science Conference, Providence, Rhode Island. PNNL-SA-193893.
• Lentz, E. W. 2024. "Quantum Enhancement of Multicavity Axion Haloscopes." Presented by E.W. Lentz at APS April Meeting, Sacramento, California. PNNL-SA-196926.
• Lentz, E. W. 2024. "Quantum Enhancement of Multi-cavity Axion Haloscopes." Abstract submitted to APS April Meeting, Sacramento, California. PNNL-SA-193762.
• Boutan, C. R., B. H. LaRoque, E. W. Lentz, N. S. Solomon-Oblath, M. S. Taubman, J. R. Tedeschi, J. Yang, et al. 2024. "Axion Dark Matter eXperiment: Run 1A Analysis Details." Physical Review D 109 (1): Art. No. 012009. PNNL-SA-185330. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.012009. 
• Chakrabarty S., J. R. Gleason, Y. Han, A. T. Hipp, M. Solano, P. Sikivie, N. S. Sullivan, et al. 2024. "Low Frequency (100–600 MHz) Searches with Axion Cavity Haloscopes." Physical Review D 109 (4): Art. No. 042004. PNNL-SA-186229. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.042004. 
• Bartram C., T. Braine, R. Cervantes, N. Crisosto, N. Du, C. Goodman, M. Guzzetti, et al. 2024. "Nonvirialized Axion Search Sensitive to the Doppler Effects in the Milky Way Halo." Physical Review D 109 (8): Art. No. 083014. PNNL-SA-195179. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.109.083014. 

2023

• Lentz, E. W. 2023. "Hyper-Fast Positive Energy Warp Drives." In The Sixteenth Marcel Grossman Meeting, edited by Remo Ruffini, Gregory Vereshchagin, 779–786. PNNL-SA-167195. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811269776_0061. 
• Nitta T., T. Braine, N. Du, M. Guzzetti, C. Hanretty, G. Leum, L. J. Rosenberg, et al. 2023. "Search for a Dark-Matter-Induced Cosmic Axion Background with ADMX." Physical Review Letters 131 (10): Art. No. 101002. PNNL-SA-185846. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.131.101002. 
• Kay W. W., A. D. Myers, E. W. Lentz, T. L. Boydston, C. L. Mackenzie, and E. J. Ellwein. 2023. "Permutation Entropy for Signal Analysis." Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science. PNNL-SA-193124.

2022

• Lentz, E. W., D. M. Cain, and C. R. Boutan. 2022. Development of a Microwave Quantum Sensing Capability. PNNL-33351. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
• Dermigny, J. R., E. W. Lentz, and T. F. Grimes. 2022. An Investigation of Double Descent Behavior in Modeling EM/RF Data Manifolds. PNNL-33550. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
• Chen, J., X. Du, E. W. Lentz, and D. J. Marsh. 2022. Relaxation times for Bose-Einstein condensation by self-interaction and gravity. PNNL-32633. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.106.023009.
• Lentz, E. W. 2022. "Finding Hyper-Fast Positive Energy Warp Drives." Georg-August-Universitat Gotti, Germany. PNNL-SA-170244.

2021

• Lentz, E. W. 2021. "Hyper-Fast Positive Energy Warp Drives." Online Conference, Italy. PNNL-SA-163764.
• Lentz, E. W. 2021. ALP Experiment Sensitivity Exploration: Preliminary Findings. PNNL-32283. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.