Department of Energy Announces $9.1 Million for Research on Quantum Information Science and Nuclear Physics

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $9.1 million in funding for 13 projects in Quantum Information Science (QIS) with relevance to nuclear physics. Nuclear physics research seeks to discover, explore, and understand all forms of nuclear matter that can exist in the universe – from the subatomic structure of nucleons, to exploding stars, to the emergence of the quark-gluon plasma seconds after the Big Bang.

Quantum computers: Bar-Ilan University researchers develop superconducting flux qubits with unprecedented reproducibility

Dr. Michael Stern and co-workers from the Department of Physics and Quantum Entanglement Science and Technology (QUEST) Center at Bar-Ilan University in Israel are attempting to build superconducting processors based on a type of circuit called superconducting flux qubits. A flux qubit is a micron-sized superconducting loop where electrical current can flow clockwise or counter-clockwise, or in a quantum superposition of both directions. Contrary to transmon qubits, these flux qubits are highly non-linear objects and can thus be manipulated on very short time scales with high fidelity. The main drawback of flux qubits, however, is that they are particularly difficult to control and to fabricate. This leads to sizeable irreproducibility and has limited their use in the industry until now to quantum annealing optimization processes such as the ones realized by D-Wave.

Using a novel fabrication technique and state-of the-art equipment, a group led by Dr. Stern, in collaboration with Pr

How Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Quantum Testbed Paves Breakthroughs For Quantum Computing

Since 2018, Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT) has led several scientific breakthroughs in quantum computing across various areas. AQT also operates an open-access experimental testbed designed for deep collaboration with external users from academia, national Laboratories, and industry.

UAH student overcomes setbacks of war to solve a difficult quantum optical system problem

In work applicable to super-fast quantum computing and quantum optics, undergraduate research by a recent graduate in physics and mathematics at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has simplified a difficult mathematical problem to further illuminate the behavior of two-level quantum optical systems.

New Error Mitigation Approach helps Quantum Computers Level Up

Quantum computers are prone to errors that limit their usefulness in scientific research. While error correction would be the ideal solution, it is not yet feasible due to the number of qubits needed. New research shows the value of an error mitigation approach called noise estimation circuits for improving the reliability of quantum computer simulations.

Building a better quantum bit: New qubit breakthrough could transform quantum computing

A team led by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, in close collaboration with FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Wei Guo, has announced the creation of a new qubit platform that shows great promise to be developed into future quantum computers. Their work is published in Nature.

Quantum, Classical Computing Combine to Tackle Tough Optimization Problems

A research team led by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) was recently selected for second-phase funding of a $9.2 million project aimed at demonstrating a hybrid computing system that will combine the advantages of classical computing with those of quantum computing to tackle some of the world’s most difficult optimization problems.

Mapping the Electronic States in an Exotic Superconductor

Scientists mapped the electronic states in an exotic superconductor. The maps point to the composition range necessary for topological superconductivity, a state that could enable more robust quantum computing.

Quirky Response to Magnetism Presents Quantum Physics Mystery

The search is on to discover new states of matter, and possibly new ways of encoding, manipulating, and transporting information. One goal is to harness materials’ quantum properties for communications that go beyond what’s possible with conventional electronics. Topological insulators–materials that act mostly as insulators but carry electric current across their surface–provide some tantalizing possibilities. Scientists at Brookhaven Lab describe one such material that should be right just right for making qubits. But this material doesn’t obey the rules.

Creating the Heart of a Quantum Computer: Developing Qubits

To use quantum computers on a large scale, we need to improve the technology at their heart – qubits. Qubits are the quantum version of conventional computers’ most basic form of information, bits. The DOE’s Office of Science is supporting research into developing the ingredients and recipes to build these challenging qubits.