IQUIST

Researchers such as Elizabeth Goldschmidt, an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, are developing all manner of maneuvers for managing photons as quantum carriers of information.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were awarded a grant to begin developing interconnects that, if successful, could serve as linkages in a network of quantum processors and other elements. 

Under new seed funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF), UIUC’s Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (I-MRSEC) will partner with two other universities to provide undergraduates from underrepresented groups with robust pathways towards graduate study and eventual careers in materials science.

Light plays a critical role in enabling 21st century quantum information applications. Limited by size, engineers need to miniaturize quantum devices, which requires re-thinking certain components for harnessing light. IQUIST members have designed a simple, compact photonic circuit that uses sound waves to rein in light. The team’s measurements show that their approach to isolation currently outperforms all previous on-chip alternatives and is optimized for compatibility with atom-based sensors.