NSF Award
2317110
Exploring the surprising phenomena that arise in complex quantum systems is one of the most exciting frontiers of 21st-century science. Understanding and harnessing highly entangled quantum systems will yield new materials, new communication and computation methods, and new insights into the structure of the universe. The Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM) will advance this frontier through the collaborative efforts of theorists and experimentalists investigating exotic collective phenomena which amplify the weirdness of the quantum world to macroscopic scales. IQIM will establish new paradigms for understanding nature and lay the foundations for potentially revolutionary technologies, while training a new generation of leaders who will define the future of quantum science and engineering. In addition, IQIM will stoke the public's fascination with the mysteries of the quantum realm, enhancing public engagement through the development of games and videos and strategic use of social media.<br/><br/>IQIM research is organized into three Major Activities. MA-1 (Quantum Information Physics) connects ideas drawn from computer science, information theory, engineering, and mathematics to experimental quantum information platforms such as superconducting circuits and trapped ultracold atoms. MA-2 (Next-Generation Quantum Metrology) emphasizes opportunities to enhance quantum sensing using highly controllable quantum systems including atoms and spins coupled to optical cavities, and strongly correlated materials. MA-3 (Building and Driving Quantum Matter) builds on recent advances in quantum materials and quantum simulation platforms to realize previously inaccessible phases of matter, with emphasis on fractionalized phases, topological superconductivity, defect-bound quantum wires, and dynamical Floquet phases. By combining quantum computing, simulation, materials, and metrology into a unified center located on a single campus, IQIM is building an interconnected community well suited to take advantage of the synergy among these research thrusts. By focusing on the potential for quantum technology to facilitate scientific discoveries, this research can lay the foundations for future technologies not yet imagined.<br/><br/>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.
