7/3/2024
Quantum at the Capitals
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Quantum at the Capitals
To help develop quantum technology of tomorrow, we need to educate the leaders of today.
Written by Lauren Laws
Preparing a quantum ready workforce requires more than teaching the next generation quantum information science. It also means showing the leaders of today what quantum technology is capable of.
Over the course of a month, IQUIST Director Brian DeMarco has traveled to the U.S. and Illinois capitals with that intent: first at the NSF Quantum Showcase on Capitol Hill and then at the Illinois Manufacturing Association’s 2024 Business Day in Springfield.
The Fruit of the NQI Act
Representing the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN) that he leads, DeMarco and his PhD student, Mari Cieszynski, were among the nearly 40 NSF researchers who attended the quantum showcase. With tables placed throughout one hall of the Rayburn House on the Capitol Campus, members of congress were given the chance to see what researchers have produced from one of the nation’s largest initiatives in quantum research.
While the U.S. has invested in quantum science and technology development for the last 30 years, the major push to place the nation front and center in quantum research came with passing of the 2018 National Quantum Initiative (NQI) Act. It now needs to be reauthorized to keep the momentum in quantum research going.
“It’s not just about the NQI Act, but also to keep the focus in government on advancing the science and technology to make sure that the nation has a competitive advantage,” said DeMarco.
Several other HQAN graduate students had plenty to show, even though they weren’t physically present. They and Cieszynski produced ten-second-long videos of various quantum research projects being worked on in labs, including superconducting circuits, fabricating photonics, trapped-atom quantum computing, and an optical fiber doped with rare-earth atoms. For a more hands-on approach, DeMarco brought superconducting quantum bits (“qubits”) made by Wolfgang Pfaff’s group, photonics created at Argonne National Lab by Jen Choy’s and Mikhail Kats’ groups at University of Wisconsin Madison, and a crystal being developed into a quantum memory from Elizabeth Goldschmidt’s group.
“It’s not just about the NQI Act, but also to keep the focus in government on advancing the science and technology to make sure that the nation has a competitive advantage.”
Brian DeMarco, Director, IQUIST and HQAN
“The goal of HQAN is to learn how to make a modular quantum computing architecture that uses different kinds of qubits. That’s why we showed off superconducting qubits, atom qubits, and the devices that could connect them together, and they got to see the students working in the lab,” said DeMarco.
Lawmakers weren’t the only ones impressed. Cieszynski’s work caught the eye of NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.
“Director Panchanathan came straight our table. He talked to me and Mari, and took the time to tell Mari how proud he was of her accomplishments,” said DeMarco.
Cieszynski is a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship student whose research is funded by HQAN. Her lab and work, fellow researchers, and the center are examples of why it’s important to keep quantum research funding flowing.
Intersection of Quantum and Manufacturing
What can quantum do for businesses? It was a question on the minds of several state business leaders at the Illinois Manufacturing Association’s 2024 Business Day in Springfield. DeMarco’s answer? Quantum for manufacturing/business and manufacturing for quantum.
“I think that manufacturing for quantum is really important and an opportunity for businesses in Illinois,” said DeMarco.
The governer agrees with that sentiment. His state budget included $500 million toward the the advancement of beyond silicon quantum technology. Part of that will go towards a state-of-the-art quantum campus, including a cryogenic facility crucial for quantum technologies and next-generation microelectronics. It's one of the first steps of a bigger push from the governor: a potential $20 billion, 150-acre quantum computing campus in the Chicago-area.
"Illinois is already a global competitor in the quantum sector, and we want to ensure that we have the workforce and talent to engage in our unprecedented progress and innovation," said Governor JB Pritzker.
It would be a large business opportunity for both manufacturers and quantum researchers. But manufacturing for quantum doesn't have to wait for massive construction jobs such as a campus. QIS also needs components such cables now, something DeMarco explained isn't currently very manufacturable.
"Illinois is already a global competitor in the quantum sector, and we want to ensure that we have the workforce and talent to engage in our unprecedented progress and innovation," said Governor JB Pritzker.
It would be a large business opportunity for both manufacturers and quantum researchers. But manufacturing for quantum doesn't have to wait for massive construction jobs such as a campus. QIS also needs components such cables now, something DeMarco explained isn't currently very manufacturable.