April 14 is World Quantum Day, an annual event to celebrate how we use the science of atoms and particles—the building blocks of the universe—to advance science and technology.
Scientists and engineers already leverage the strange and interesting properties of quantum mechanics to advance our technology. Our understanding of quantum mechanics helps us design the semiconductors used in cars, phones, and other technology. GPS systems rely on the quantum mechanics of ultra-precise atomic clocks.
Many more advancements in quantum technology are yet to come. Secure communication through metropolitan-scale entangled quantum networks, quantum machine clusters for high-end computation, and quantum sensors that enhance intracellular sensing and mapping are just some of the predicted developments.
Learn more about the some of the latest quantum research and announcements coming from the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and its partners below.
Advancements in research
Scientists use novel technique to create new energy-efficient microelectronic device
Researchers at UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering and Argonne National Laboratory have achieved a breakthrough that could allow for a new kind of microelectronic material to consume only a fraction of the electricity of conventional electronics while still operating at peak performance. In a new study published in Advanced Materials, the Argonne team proposed a new kind of ?“redox gating” technique that can control the movement of electrons in and out of a semiconducting material.
Read more about increasing energy efficiency of our microelectronics
Illustration of redox gating
Illustration of redox gating for carrier manipulation and electric field control of the electronic state. The green threads represent functional molecules for redox gating, and the ability to function at low power mimics synaptic switching in the human brain, as represented by the underlying synapse. (Image by Argonne National Laboratory)
Researchers from startups, government labs, and academia develop new techniques for making qubits out of erbium
Two research groups—one at quantum startup memQ, founded by UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering alumnus Manish Singh, and one at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory—have used different host materials for erbium to advance quantum technology, demonstrating the versatility of this kind of quantum bit (qubit) and highlighting the importance of materials science to quantum computing and quantum communication.
Learn more about a new form of quantum bit
New research unites quantum engineering and artificial intelligence
Researchers at UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering, including Chicago Quantum Exchange IBM postdoctoral scholar Junyu Liu, and collaborators show in a new paper how incorporating quantum computing into the classical machine learning process can potentially help make machine learning more sustainable and efficient.
Learn how quantum computing will affect artificial intelligence
In novel quantum computer design, qubits use magnets to selectively communicate
An international team of researchers have begun to use magnets to entangle qubits, the building blocks of quantum computers; the simple technique could unlock complex capabilities.
Read more about the new quantum computer design
PNAS magnon
Advanced computational tool for understanding quantum materials
Researchers have developed a new computational tool to describe how the atoms within quantum materials behave when they absorb and emit light. The tool will be released as part of the open-source software package WEST, developed within the Midwest Integrated Center for Computational Materials (MICCoM).
Learn how the new tool will advance quantum research
Researchers invent new way to stretch diamond for better quantum bits
A team of UChicago Pritzker Molecular Engineering researchers announced a breakthrough in quantum network engineering: By “stretching” thin films of diamond, they created quantum bits that can operate with significantly reduced equipment and expense. The change also makes the bits easier to control.
Find out how diamonds can be "stretched"
Illustration of quantum bits over a dark background
By “stretching” thin films of diamond, researchers have created quantum bits that can operate with significantly reduced equipment and expense. (Illustration by Peter Allen)
Major milestone achieved in new quantum computing architecture
A team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has achieved a major milestone toward future quantum computing. They have extended the coherence time for their novel type of qubit to an impressive 0.1 milliseconds—nearly a thousand times better than the previous record.
Read more on how improving coherence times advances quantum science and technology
Researchers “split” phonons—or sound—in step toward new type of quantum computer
In two experiments—the first of their kinds—a team led by Prof. Andrew Cleland used a device called an acoustic beamsplitter to “split” phonons and thereby demonstrate their quantum properties. By showing that the beamsplitter can be used to both induce a special quantum superposition state for one phonon, and further create interference between two phonons, the research team took the first critical steps toward creating a new kind of quantum computer.
Learn more about what happens when you try to split a phonon
‘Noise-cancelling’ qubits developed at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering to minimize errors in quantum computers
In a paper in Science, researchers in the lab of Asst. Prof. Hannes Bernien describe a method to constantly monitor the noise around a quantum system and adjust the qubits, in real-time, to minimize error.
Read how the new approach can robustly improve the quality of the data qubits
Simulations reveal the atomic-scale story of qubits
By using sophisticated computer simulations at the atomic scale, a new study predicts the formation process of spin defects useful for quantum technologies.
Learn how spin defects are useful for quantum technology
Illustration of spin defects
By using sophisticated computer simulations at the atomic scale, a new study predicts the formation process of spin defects useful for quantum technologies. (Image by Emmanuel Gygi. With permission, a component of the figure is adapted from Christoph Dellago and Peter G. Bolhuis, Adv. Poly. Sci., Springer (2008).)
Quantum announcements
Chicago region designated U.S. Tech Hub for quantum technologies by Biden-Harris administration
The Chicago region has been named an official U.S. Regional and Innovation Technology Hub for quantum technologies by the Biden-Harris administration, a designation that opens the door to new federal funding and recognizes the growing strength of an ecosystem poised to become the heart of the nation’s quantum economy. The Bloch Tech Hub (pronounced “block”), a coalition of industry, academic, government, and nonprofit stakeholders led by the Chicago Quantum Exchange, was one of 31 designees from nearly 400 applications across the country.
Learn how the Bloch Tech Hub will impact Chicago
Gov. Pritzker celebrates quantum technology leadership with The Bloch Tech Hub
Governor JB Pritzker and Innovate Illinois announced a multi-year plan for The Bloch Tech Hub to develop quantum technology solutions for pressing issues such as fraud detection, grid resilience, and drug discovery by accelerating industry adoption to drive research commercialization—an initiative that is projected to generate $60 billion in economic impact for the Chicago metro area over the next decade.
Read more about Pritzker's plans for The Bloch Tech Hub
A student holds experimental quantum technology in the laboratory of Prof. David Awschalom at the University of Chicago.
A student holds experimental quantum technology in the laboratory of Prof. David Awschalom at the University of Chicago. (Photo by Jean Lachat)
University of Chicago joins global partnerships to advance quantum computing
The University of Chicago formalized groundbreaking agreements with industry and university partners to transform the future of quantum technology. The first is a 10-year, $100 million plan with IBM, the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo to develop the blueprints for building a quantum-centric supercomputer powered by 100,000 qubits. The second is a strategic partnership between the University of Chicago, the University of Tokyo and Google, with Google investing up to $50 million over 10 years, to accelerate the development of a fault-tolerant quantum computer and to help train the quantum workforce of the future.
Read more about the historic partnership
Illinois governor proposes $500M for quantum technologies in new budget
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is asking state legislators for half a billion dollars for quantum technologies in a proposed budget—the latest show of support for a regional quantum ecosystem that has attracted millions of dollars in corporate and government investment in recent years and is emerging as a central driver of US leadership in the field.
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