News
UChicago professor Hannes Bernien wins International Quantum Technology Young Scientist Award
IOP Publishing
October 23, 2020
University of Chicago PME faculty members Hannes Bernien received IOP Publishing’s International Quantum Technology ‘young scientist’ award. He was nominated for “the development of methods to control quantum systems over long distances and scaling them to large qubit numbers.”
Nationwide quantum training program selects third cohort of students
October 20, 2020
The Chicago Quantum Exchange-managed QISE-NET program has accepted 25 graduate students from across the country. The NSF-funded program, which bridges academia and industry to train tomorrow’s quantum engineers, is also accepting applications for its fourth cohort.
The Quantum Internet Will Blow Your Mind. Here’s What It Will Look Like
Discover Magazine
October 3, 2020
The next generation of the Internet will rely on revolutionary new tech — allowing for unhackable networks and information that travels faster than the speed of light. Chicago Quantum Exchange Director David Awschalom comments on progress toward a quantum internet.
NSF Convergence grant for quantum biosensing could lead to game-changing medical diagnostics
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
October 7, 2020
A new National Science Foundation grant will fund a research partnership between Asst. Prof. Peter Maurer at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago and industry that will combine quantum engineering with life sciences to work toward game-changing medical technologies.
UW-Madison’s Robert McDermott elected fellow of the American Physical Society
University of Wisconsin-Madison
September 29, 2020
Robert McDermott, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was elected a 2020 Fellow of the American Physical Society. APS Fellowship is a distinct honor signifying recognition by one’s professional peers for outstanding contributions to physics.
Fermilab scientists selected as APS fellows
Fermilab
September 29, 2020
Three Fermilab scientists, including several who are part of the Chicago Quantum Exchange community, were selected 2020 APS fellows, a distinction awarded each year to no more than one-half of 1 percent of current APS members by their peers. Fellows include Anna Grassellino and Panagiotis Spentzouris.
Chicago Quantum Exchange community members to speak at DOE Quantum Information Science & Technology Summit
September 29, 2020
Several members of the Chicago Quantum Exchange community will speak at the The Quantum Information and Technology (QIST) Summit, the sixth in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s InnovationXLab series organized by Brookhaven National Laboratory, taking place Oct. 7-8, 2020
New funding to engineer rare-earth qubits could fast-track quantum technology
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
September 22, 2020
Tian Zhong, an assistant professor at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, was awarded a grant in which he aims to create a new form of qubits using rare-earth elements doped in solids.
New Data Stations Project Creates Architecture, Marketplace for Sharing Data
University of Chicago Department of Computer Science
September 18, 2020
Data Stations, a new project from University of Chicago researchers, creates a new data architecture that enables sharing datasets for research while protecting sensitive information and intellectual property
New Design Principles for Spin-based Quantum Materials
Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering
September 18, 2020
Criteria for designing targeted quantum materials could support Internet of Things devices and other resource-intensive technologies
New Midwest universities QuSTEAM initiative to transform US quantum education
September 23, 2020
Scientists from universities across the Midwest, including the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will lead an effort to redesign quantum science education, working together with industry and national laboratories to develop a diverse, capable and effective quantum workforce.
UChicago, Argonne scientists control single subatomic quantum memories in semiconductors
University of Chicago
September 22, 2020
In a new study, scientists at the University of Chicago and Argonne demonstrated control of atomic quantum memories in silicon carbide, a common material found in electric cars and LED light bulbs. Then, they used this control to create an “entangled state,” representing a connection between the quantum memories and electrons trapped in the semiconductor material.
Why The Quantum Internet Could Change Everything, with David Awschalom (Ep. 53)
University of Chicago Big Brains podcast
September 3, 2020
On the latest episode of Big Brains, David Awschalom discusses the importance and progress toward a quantum internet, new massive investments in quantum from the Department of Energy, and he’s hoping to lead the development of this new technology as Chicago emerges as a leading global hub for quantum research.
Prof. Fred Chong Named to National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee
University of Chicago Computer Science Department
August 31, 2020
To continue guiding investments in quantum research, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) created a new National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee (NQIAC). Among the 23 inaugural members of the committee is UChicago CS Professor Fred Chong, lead investigator of the Enabling Practical-Scale Quantum Computing (EPIQC) collaboration.
Argonne, Fermilab at Forefront of ‘Transformational’ Quantum Research
WTTW
September 1, 2020
David Awschalom, Q-NEXT Director, Argonne Senior Scientist, UChicago professor and CQE Director and Anna Grasselino, SQMS center director, and senior scientist and deputy chief technology officer at Fermilab discuss the importance of quantum science, the new national centers awarded by DOE to Argonne and Fermilab and what these new opportunities mean for the Chicago region.
New study expands types of physics, engineering problems that can be solved by quantum computers
University of Wisconsin-Madison
August 25, 2020
A well-known quantum algorithm that is useful in studying and solving problems in quantum physics can be applied to problems in classical physics, according to a new study in the journal Physical Review A from University of Wisconsin–Madison assistant professor of physics Jeff Parker.
White House OSTP and DOE Announce the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee
Department of Energy
August 28, 2020
On Aug. 28, 2020, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the U.S. Department of Energy announced the members of the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee, which will counsel the Administration on ways to ensure continued American leadership in quantum information science. CQE members and partners include: Fred Chong, UChicago; Joe Lykken, Fermilab; James Clarke, Intel; Chad Rigetti, Rigetti Computing; Mark B. Ritter, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center; and Krysta M. Svore, Microsoft Research.
1 Year In: How P33 Is Giving A Boost To Chicago’s Tech Ecosystem
Forbes
August 27, 2020
CQE partner P33 is working to grow the city of Chicago into a leading tech hub. Chicago Quantum Exchange Executive Director Kate Timmerman discusses the collective aim of P33 and the Chicago Quantum Exchange to develop Chicago into the nation’s hub for quantum information science.
A quantum leap for Chicago’s tech economy?
Crain’s Chicago Business
August 26, 2020
Chicago was late to the digitization party but now has a chance to catch the quantum computing wave.
A pair of big-money federal research grants give Chicago a ground-floor opportunity in a technology many expect to transform computing. As my colleague John Pletz reported Aug. 26, Argonne and Fermilab in suburban Chicago are among five national laboratories that will get $115 million apiece for quantum computing research.
U.S. to spend $625 million in five quantum information research hubs
Reuters
August 26, 2020
The U.S. Department of Energy on Wednesday said it will provide $625 million over the next five years for five newly formed quantum information research hubs as it tries to keep ahead of competing nations like China on the emerging technology.
The funding is part of $1.2 billion earmarked in the National Quantum Initiative Act in 2018.
Department of Energy selects Argonne, Fermilab to lead two multi-million-dollar national quantum research centers
August 26, 2020
The U.S. Department of Energy is establishing five new National Quantum Information Science Research Centers, including a center led by Argonne National Laboratory and a center led by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, which are each projected to receive $115 million in funding over the next five years. Each of these centers has 20 or more national laboratory, university and industry partners, including many members of the Chicago Quantum Exchange.
IBM Supports Q2Work Education Initiative
IBM Research Blog
August 5, 2020
Q2Work, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative led by the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago provides quantum education, programs, tools, and curricula to K-12 students. The University of Illinois and the University of Chicago, both IBM Q Network members through the Chicago Quantum Exchange, will offer these resources with support from a unique White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and NSF Q-12 partnership with government, academia, and industry.
Scientists Extend Quantum States by 22 Milliseconds. That’s an Eternity.
Popular Mechanics
August 21, 2020
Molecular engineers at the University of Chicago have found a way to extend the quantum state of a qubit to 22 milliseconds, representing a huge improvement and a window some say will make quantum computers far more feasible. The secret is an alternating magnetic field, which they say is scientifically “intricate” but easy to apply.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Chicago Lead Quantum Education Program
August 5, 2020
The Grainger College of Engineering’s Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center (IQUIST) and the University of Chicago will co-lead an ambitious program to support quantum education workforce development across the country.
Solving materials problems with a quantum computer
Argonne National Laboratory
July 27, 2020
Scientists at Argonne and the University of Chicago have developed a method paving the way to using quantum computers to simulate realistic molecules and complex materials.