Chicago Quantum Exchange is Making Large-scale Quantum Networks a Reality
UChicago jumpstarts collaborations with national labs in AI, quantum
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+ The University of Chicago is seeding promising projects with Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in the emerging fields of artificial intelligence and quantum science.
“When you put Argonne, Fermilab and the University of Chicago together, you have an extraordinary breadth of interests and expertise,” said Juan de Pablo, vice president for national laboratories at the University. “As we tackle new fields of science, such as AI and quantum, working together will bring tremendous benefits.”
+ Due to a variety of scientific and engineering challenges, sending quantum information even a short distance is still difficult. But seed grant recipients are working to turn the promise of quantum networks into a large-scale reality: ~ Scientists at Argonne and UChicago will use ions of erbium (a chemical element) as nodes in quantum networks. The unique properties of erbium ions, along with Argonne’s advanced nanofabrication resources and UChicago’s complex fiber cryogenic measurement capabilities, will allow for the creation of devices that may more reliably transmit quantum information over longer distances. The devices will be tested within the Argonne-Fermilab Quantum Link. The principal investigators for this project are Alan Dibos, an assistant scientist at Argonne, and Tian Zhong, assistant professor in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
+ Scientists can use atomic defects in diamonds to encode quantum information. But current technology doesn’t take full advantage of the properties of the diamond. Scientists at Argonne and UChicago are developing a new method. By upgrading an atomic force microscope with a metallic probe tip, they will create special cavities (defects) smaller than a nanometer in ultra-thin diamond membranes—and characterize these defects with precision. This will allow them to optimize quantum coupling, the linking of particles that creates quantum entanglement. The principal investigators for this project are Jeffrey Guest, a scientist at Argonne, and Alexander High, assistant professor in the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering.
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