CAREER: First Principles Design of Error-Corrected Solid-State Quantum Repeaters

Quantum mechanics enables a new range of technologies that are inherently more powerful than their classical counterparts, from ultraprecise sensors to secure communications to quantum computing. Central to the development of these “quantum technologies” is the need for materials and devices engineered to store and process quantum information. The goal of this NSF CAREER program is to chart a new approach with theory-driven discovery of solid-state quantum systems that exhibit the required properties, tested by subsequent experiments and integration into device architectures.

This approach will be developed in particular for the specific use case of a quantum repeater, a device that can hold and process quantum information and couple it to photons, and is an essential component of large-scale quantum networks. Further, to advance the broader impact of quantum science and technology to society, this CAREER program will pursue parallel approaches spanning i) Education and a Quantum Engineering-focused curriculum, ii) Outreach programs emphasizing programs designed to recruit and include underrepresented groups in STEM to the field of Quantum Science and Technology, iii) Quantum simulations methods and calculations made available open source and iv) a close engagement with industry partners and startups entering the area of solid-state quantum technologies.

Undergraduate and graduate students will learn cutting-edge computational methods, advanced concepts in materials and devices and protocols for quantum information in the new “quantum engineering” courses designed by the PI. While the research plan is fundamental in nature, translation to and impact on large-scale industry partners and startups in the areas of next-generation solid quantum technologies and quantum networks is a focus in this program.

Interactions with industry partners also provides an opportunity to train the current engineering workforce in quantum science and technology. Technical Description and Intellectual Significance

A central requirement for solid-state quantum technologies is the development of physical systems that can coherently store and manipulate quantum states well enough for error correction. Color centers in solids have emerged as leading candidate systems, promising to combine the favorable coherence properties of isolated atoms with the scalability and stability of solid-state technologies.

The goal of this NSF CAREER program is to chart an entirely new approach with first-principles modeling and discovery of solid-state quantum systems that exhibit the required properties, tested by subsequent experiments, spectroscopy and device-level performance. This approach will be developed in particular for the specific use case of a quantum repeater: a device that can hold and process quantum information and couple it to photons.

These devices could enable scalable quantum computers, networks, and sensors, which are expected to be a dominant driving force for technological innovation in the future. This Program will overcome key problems in solid-state quantum technologies for quantum networks: it will develop theoretical methods to model and predict the properties of quantum defects quantitatively; protocols to characterize complex and coherently coupled solid-state quantum systems; and it will deploy them in practical quantum repeater nodes.

The tight discovery loop availed by the approach in this CAREER award will allow, for instance, to generate a local array of emitters in a material, predict local and long-range properties such as inter-emitter coherence lifetimes, make minute adjustments to the spacing or arrangements of emitters, and engineer directly the structure-function relationships that govern specific quantum behaviors needed to enable scalable integration of quantum emitters. This integration is critical for solid-state quantum technologies as additional qubits in quantum repeaters will be needed for error correction, entanglement distillation, and quantum repeater multiplexing.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.