The iOS takes a quantum leap with NSF funding

Four members of the Institute for Optical Science (iOS) and the Department of Physics at The Ohio State University are part of a newly awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) pilot grant. The $1 million award was announced by NSF on Dec. 16 . 

The team is led by the University of Michigan’s Prof. Mackillo Kira in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department. The pilot award is the initial step in competing for a $50 million quantum center. The UM Quantum Photonic Integration and Deployment (QuPID) grant aims to build the first quantum chips that harness the incredible precision of light for real-world measurements in the field with quantum semiconductors. Working with leading industry partners, the team will develop quantum systems on chips that can perform these high-precision measurements.

NSF announced 11 recipients of the $1 million pilot grant, including two Ohio State teams. The second team aims to create a technology roadmap for the development of quantum sensing of molecular and materials structure and functional properties. 

The iOS team also includes Nobel Laureate Pierre Agostini, Professor Alexandra Landsman, and Associate Professor Michael Chini, all members of iOS and the physics department. "Quantum science is moving forward so quickly, and advances in optics and laser science are going to be critical to taking the next major steps in transitioning 'quantum' out of the lab and into real devices,” said Chini. “The NQVL pilot is an exciting opportunity for Ohio State students and scientists to play a role in realizing the next major milestones in this important field.”

The team is focused on developing sources and detection of quantum light by targeting applications such as ultrasensitive environmental monitoring, GPS-free navigation, ultrasensitive semiconductor chip quality control, and detailed geological mapping of underground structures from the air or satellites. "We're essentially trying to build quantum gadgets and demonstrate their performance so that people can integrate them into their own devices, whether that's AI, measuring the purity of a liquid, or predicting major storms months in advance," said Kira, the U-M PI.

A key role of the potential quantum center is to recruit and educate future talent while translating the technology to real world applications. “This effort brings together a diverse team of researchers from different institutions and industry in a push to transfer emergent quantum technology from the university labs into usable compact devices”, said Landsman. Beyond U-M and Ohio State, the team includes researchers from Harvard University, Michigan State University, the University of Arizona and the University of Southern California. Participating industry researchers hail from Honeywell, MONSTR Sense Technologies, TOPTICA Photonics, INTEL, KPIT, MITRE, Quantum Opus and Raytheon.