Quantum Information Science and Technology

Technologies based on the manipulation of individual charges, spins, photons, and phonons in the solid-state are key for revolutionary quantum technologies in computation, nanoscale sensing and communication.

Our group aims to explore and develop materials systems to solve major challenges in quantum information science. Our team combines expertise in the fabrication and characterization of single-electron and nuclear spin states in wide bandgap semiconductors, such as diamond, silicon carbide and oxides, and microwave frequency mechanical systems –all operating and manipulated in the quantum regime.

This program is associated with the Center for Molecular Engineering at Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago.

Solid-state quantum systems are fundamentally material-based with challenges demanding relentless progress in fundamental material science, characterization capabilities and synthesis. Furthermore, once a functional qubit is prepared, the inherent fragile nature of these quantum states provides stringent restrictions on the ability to interface with them. To answer these challenges, a new class of engineered structures and material systems must be established and designed in the solid state for scalable integration of homogeneous and heterogeneous hybrid quantum systems.

Our group utilizes materials growth, nanofabrication, optical spectroscopy and x-ray scattering techniques to explore the materials science and engineer hybrid integration of quantum systems based on individual electron and nuclear spins, microwave photons, phonons and spin waves.

Quantum control and coherence

We probe the coherence properties of various solid-state qubits through their coherent control and investigate their decoherence mechanisms. This allows us to explore how qubits interact with their environment and feeds into the development of novel materials growth approaches and design of nanostructures so as to improve qubit coherence.

Interfacing qubits

Solid-state qubits interact with different elements of their environment, such as phonons, photons, magnons, or nuclear spins. We develop novel approaches to turn such interactions into assets and use such coherent interactions for qubit control and interfacing with other quantum systems.

Over the past few decades, remarkable advances in photonic and solid-state quantum technologies have enabled the construction of distributed quantum systems at the chip- and laboratory-scale. The expansion of distributed entanglement beyond controlled laboratory settings is a critical step toward realizing real-world solid-state quantum communication.

We aim to address fundamental questions related to generating and controlling distributed quantum entanglement in solid-state quantum materials across a real-world ~200 km Chicago metropolitan optical fiber network. In this project, we study the underlying physics that drives decoherence and loss of information in entangled quantum systems that are separated by large physical distance.