A university-industry collaboration has successfully run a quantum algorithm on a type of quantum computer known as a cold atom quantum computer for the first time. The achievement by the team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, ColdQuanta and Riverlane brings quantum computing one step closer to being used in real-world applications.
The work out of Mark Saffman’s group was published in Nature on April 20.
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Wisconsin Quantum Institute physicists have made one of the highest performance atomic clocks ever, they announced Feb. 16 in the journal Nature.
Their instrument, known as an optical lattice atomic clock, can measure differences in time to a precision equivalent to losing just one second every 300 billion years and is the first example of a “multiplexed” optical clock, where six separate clocks can exist in the same environment. Its design allows the team to test ways to search for gravitational waves, attempt to detect dark matter, and discover new physics with clocks.
“Optical lattice clocks are already the best clocks in the world, and here we get this level of performance that no one has seen before,” says Shimon Kolkowitz, a UW–Madison physics professor with WQI and senior author of the study. “We’re working to both improve their performance and to develop emerging applications that are enabled by this improved performance.”
Atomic clocks are so precise because they take advantage of a fundamental property of atoms: when an electron changes energy levels, it absorbs or emits light with a frequency that is identical for all atoms of a particular element. Optical atomic clocks keep time by using a laser that is tuned to precisely match this frequency, and they require some of the world’s most sophisticated lasers to keep accurate time.
By comparison, Kolkowitz’s group has “a relatively lousy laser,” he says, so they knew that any clock they built would not be the most accurate or precise on its own. But they also knew that many downstream applications of optical clocks will require portable, commercially available lasers like theirs. Designing a clock that could use average lasers would be a boon.
Four University of Wisconsin–Madison professors, including WQI’s Shimon Kolkowitz, have been named to Sloan Research Fellowships — competitive, prestigious awards given to promising researchers in the early stages of their careers.
“Today’s Sloan Research Fellows represent the scientific leaders of tomorrow,” says Adam F. Falk, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which has awarded the fellowships since 1955. “As formidable young scholars, they are already shaping the research agenda within their respective fields—and their trailblazing won’t end here.”
Kolkowitz, an assistant professor of physics, builds some of the most precise clocks in the world by trapping ultracold atoms of strontium — clocks so accurate they could be used to test fundamental theories of physics and search for dark matter.
UW–Madison’s other 2022 Sloan Fellows are Tatyana Shcherbina (math), Zachary K. Wickens (chemistry) and Andrew Zimmer (math).
The UW–Madison professors are among 118 researchers from the United States and Canada honored by the New York-based philanthropic foundation. The four new fellows join 110 UW–Madison researchers honored in the past.
Each fellow receives $75,000 in research funding from the foundation, which awards Sloan Research Fellowships in eight scientific and technical fields: chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences and physics.
WQI director Mark Saffman will be giving a talk to the UW retirement association Tuesday, January 4 on quantum computing. He will discuss what a quantum computer is and what sorts of problems it can solve, and share some of the research going on at WQI and how the results of that research are likely to affect the world in which we live.
As a token of their appreciation the retirement association will be making a donation to a Madison area food bank.
Shimon Kolkowitz has already developed one of the most precise atomic clocks ever. Now, the UW–Madison physics professor has been awarded a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to …
Read the full article at: https://www.physics.wisc.edu/2021/12/15/shimon-kolkowitz-awarded-nsf-career-award/This story was originally published by HQAN
Two students associated with HQAN got the opportunity to do internships in the quantum computing industry this past summer. Scott Turro and Kaiwen (Kevin) Gui both emerged from their experiences with a better understanding of real-world quantum computing, and better prepared for their future careers.
Turro is in his senior year at UIUC, majoring in Statistics with minors in Computer Science and Physics. Since his freshman year, he’s been working on a quantum tomography project with Paul Kwiat, who is an HQAN co-PI and the Bardeen Professor of Physics. That work has involved interacting with Qubitekk, Inc.—a startup devoted to quantum components and systems—and the relationship eventually led to Turro’s internship.
At Qubitekk he worked on three different projects. “Throughout all the projects,” he says, “my main goal was to write Python code that would control the devices, and document those classes so they could be used by the employees.”
Daniel Mulkey, who mentored Turro at Qubitekk, praises the contributions he made over the summer. “He was phenomenal,” he says. “He regularly brought and implemented valuable ideas that we wouldn’t have picked up anywhere else.”
Turro thinks that the number one thing he gained from the internship was the experience of working with real data, which wasn’t “the perfect data that I would usually simulate. So working with that real data and having those experimental problems, like the voltage varying… really gave me a grasp of what the problems are, and what we have to get through in order to put these systems into real life.”
Kevin Gui is a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago, where he’s studying quantum computing under the guidance of Martin Suchara, an HQAN investigator. Gui’s thesis research is building connections between quantum hardware and quantum algorithms. While very sophisticated algorithms are being developed for quantum computers, he explains, “hardware is not available yet for many of these fancy algorithms.” In his graduate work, he’s looking for ways “either to improve hardware, or to simplify algorithms to make them more suitable for the [available] hardware.”
In his internship, which was at ColdQuanta, Inc., Gui got to focus on the hardware side, working to build better multiqubit gates. Quantum gates aren’t perfect; they can be influenced by factors such as physical noise, and fail to give the desired output. Gui explored the physics of quantum gates to seek better fidelity and less susceptibility to noise.
He says the internship helped him extend his research focus beyond the level of “perfect” circuits to the real-world hardware that exists today. “I have a better sense of how the actual hardware actually functions… It made that whole picture much clearer.”
At ColdQuanta, Gui was mentored by Mark Saffman (a UW–Madison physics professor and Chief Scientist for Quantum Information for ColdQuanta) and Martin Lichtman, a quantum physicist. Saffman says that Gui’s work contributed to a core initiative of the company: “Kevin’s work supported ColdQuanta’s development of a high-performance cold atom quantum computer,” he says.
Both Turro and Gui think that their summer experiences will be beneficial to their future careers. Turro hopes to work in the quantum industry after completing his bachelor’s degree, and later return to school for graduate work. Gui remains undecided on his next career step, but is interested in pursuing work that focuses more on applications than theory.
Read the full article at: https://hqan.illinois.edu/news/hqan-affiliated-students-get-a-taste-of-the-quantum-computing-industrySmall but mighty, semiconducting qubits are a promising area of research on the road to a fully functional quantum computer. Less than one square micron, thousands of these qubits could fit into the space taken …
Read the full article at: https://www.physics.wisc.edu/2021/09/09/new-3d-integrated-semiconductor-qubit-saves-space-without-sacrificing-performance/This story was adapted from one originally published by HQAN Over the past summer, the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN) offered a 12-week “Research Experiences for CSU Students” …
Read the full article at: https://www.physics.wisc.edu/2021/09/27/chicago-state-university-students-gain-quantum-experience-through-hqan-summer-internships/WQI’s Jennifer Choy was recently featured as part of a series of profiles of scientists and engineers from across the Chicago Quantum Exchange member institutions. This post was originally published by CQE.
Jennifer Choy is an assistant professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who studies quantum sensing and nanophotonics. She aspires to be a great mentor to undergraduate and graduate students and encourages students to study quantum science, even if they don’t plan to go into the field.
Tell us about what you’re working on now.
We are developing miniaturized and mobile quantum sensors and engineering quantum platforms to improve their sensing performance. We are interested in two material platforms in particular: neutral atoms and solid-state color centers. Our group is applying techniques in nanoscale optics and integrated photonics to exert precise control over atom-photon interactions and miniaturize atomic sensors. We are currently developing chip-scale, near-infrared polarization optics for alkali vapor magnetometers, which could enable compact, sensitive magnetic-field-imaging devices.
How does UW–Madison help advance your work?
UW-Madison has a strong research community in quantum computing and sensing platforms and is supported by groups across many science and engineering departments. It has been very inspiring and exciting to establish relationships and collaborations with top-notch quantum researchers at UW-Madison and in the Midwest under the Wisconsin Quantum Institute and the Chicago Quantum Exchange.
How did you become interested in quantum research?
As a freshman in the Nuclear Science and Engineering department at MIT, I joined David Cory’s group, working on using liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance as a testbed for quantum computing. I think how someone gravitates toward a field depends greatly on formative experiences and environments. I had no prior knowledge in quantum physics, but graduate students in the group were very supportive and David always graciously answered questions and offered advice, even long after I graduated. I aspire to being able to foster a similar mentoring approach and attitude.
What does the future hold for quantum technology?
The use of quantum science in sensors and sensing brings a set of tools that can promise greater sensitivity and accuracy than conventional technologies, some of which are already in use. However, to make the next leap to other practical applications outside of the lab, a combination of fundamental science research and engineering will be needed to realize functional and robust sensor systems. Broader applications would include quantum accelerometers, gyroscopes, and clocks that can provide accurate navigation solutions without the need for GPS.
Quantum technology has a workforce shortage. What would you say to a young person who is interested in studying quantum information science?
I think part of the excitement of working in the field of quantum information science is that it offers interesting research directions in almost every science and engineering discipline. Developing quantum technologies requires partnership among academia, national labs, and industry. With several federally funded quantum initiatives, job opportunities will likely open up in all these sectors.
As someone who worked in industry (as a scientist at Draper Laboratory), what I really appreciated about my training in quantum research is that I was able to apply my skills to other unrelated fields, which were just as interesting and fulfilling. Therefore, I think a quantum workforce will generate well-rounded talents that will also benefit other industries.
