Professor Terry P. Orlando will lead an RLE DURINT program entitled, “Quantum Computation with Superconducting Quantum Devices.” This $5.7M project (including an associated instrumentation grant also from the DURINT program) will study, design, demonstrate, and develop algorithms and quantum-coherent circuitry using magnetic-flux-based superconducting qubits.
The project is sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Advanced Research and Development Activity (ARDA) of the National Security Agency (NSA).
Quantum computers are machines that store information on quantum variables and that process the information by making those variables interact in a way that preserves quantum coherence.
Quantum computation promises a revolution in computational power. As the microelectronics industry drives the dimensions of electronic devices towards nanoscale feature sizes, quantum mechanical effects can become an obstacle in classical device design. Quantum effects can also be exploited, however, to improve device performance.
Professor Orlando’s research team at MIT for the DURINT includes Professor Seth Lloyd and Professor Leonid S. Levitov. The project also comprises teams at the University of Rochester led by Professors Marc J. Feldman and Mark F. Bocko, Harvard University led by Professor Michael Tinkham, and the Technical University of Delft led by Professor Johan E. Mooij.
These awards to Professor Orlando highlight one of RLE’s fastest growing areas of new research interest: quantum information and devices. RLE is the also the home to a recently awarded major DoD Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) project led by RLE’s Director, Professor Jeffrey H. Shapiro entitled, “Quantum Information Technology: Entanglement, Teleportation, and Quantum Memory,” as well as a number of related research programs in the quantum information field.
Related Links:
Department of Defense Press Release
More information on the DURINT program
Superconducting and Quantum Electronics Group