The U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is expecting a 95-ton coldbox delivery from Sassenage, France. A 55-by-14-foot cryogenic vessel coldbox will soon arrive at the lab after a two-month voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, passage up the Mississippi River and a slow, careful drive via interstate to Batavia, Illinois.
The coldbox will be at the heart of the cryogenic system for the Proton Improvement Plan-II, the project providing significant upgrades to the particle accelerator complex at Fermilab, including a new state-of-the-art linear accelerator. The accelerator will make use of the latest advances in superconducting radio-frequency technologies. But for it to work, the accelerating structures must be kept extremely cold — near the temperature of outer space.
Cryogenics will play a vital role in cooling the superconducting components in the PIP-II accelerator. The coldbox is one piece of the PIP-II cryogenic plant, which is being provided as an in-kind contribution from the Department of Atomic Energy in India — the single largest external contribution to the PIP-II project. The cryogenic plant was built thanks to the combined efforts of the Fermilab and DAE teams on all phases of the project, from technical specifications and design to construction follow-up and, finally, delivery.
The journey
The coldbox, assembled at the Air Liquide Advanced Technologies workshop in Sassenage, France, departed for its journey on Oct. 14. A week later it was loaded onto a transport ship on the southern French coast for its 25-day cross-Atlantic trip to the Port of New Orleans in the United States.
After arrival at the Port of New Orleans in late November, the coldbox was transferred to a river barge for transport up the Mississippi River to Romeoville, Illinois, where it will be offloaded onto a 277-foot-long heavy-haul truck. The coldbox will be driven at 10 miles-per-hour to Fermilab, where it will be carefully moved to a smaller, more maneuverable trailer for the drive across the laboratory campus to the PIP-II site. Crews will install the coldbox inside its new home in the new PIP-II Cryogenic Plant Building.
Visitors are invited to Fermilab to see the coldbox delivery from a public viewing area at Wilson Hall. The viewing event is scheduled for January 7 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. but is subject to change based on extreme weather. Confirmation or updates on the delivery will be posted to the website 48 hours prior to the event.
The coldbox’s journey to Fermilab was chronicled on the PIP-II website and on Fermilab’s Facebook and X/Twitter. Those interested in attending the January 7 coldbox event should check the website and follow Fermilab on Facebook and X/Twitter for the most up-to-date status of the delivery.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. Fermi Research Alliance manages Fermilab for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Visit Fermilab’s website at www.fnal.gov and follow us on social media.
The Proton Improvement Plan-II project, essential for upgrading Fermilab’s particle accelerator complex, just achieved an important milestone by completing its Early Conventional Facilities subproject. This includes infrastructure and building systems to support a new cryogenic plant for PIP-II.
The PIP-II project is constructing a powerful new linear particle accelerator at Fermilab, which will use state-of-the-art superconducting radiofrequency technology to produce the neutrino beam for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. DUNE — the world’s most comprehensive neutrino experiment — is scheduled to start up in 2028. In addition to DUNE, the accelerator upgrade will enable advanced high-energy physics experiments for decades to come.
On Nov. 22, a Department of Energy independent project review team recommended that the PIP-II Early Conventional Facilities subproject is ready for Critical Decision 4 approval. CD-4 is the last of five approval stages — CD-0 through CD-4 — signaling that the Early Conventional Facilities subproject is complete and the start of a series of activities associated with transition to operations. Conventional facilities encompass all the basic and essential systems in a building that allow it to function properly, such as electrical wiring, plumbing and lighting.
One of the unique aspects of this milestone is proving the success of the subproject model used by the DOE Office of Science. This approach treats each part of an overall project as a standalone unit with its own leadership team, plans and strategy. By granting funding for specific subprojects, DOE facilitates construction to proceed more efficiently.
“The ECF subproject provided an effective means to construct a portion of the PIP-II conventional facilities early, which allowed us to achieve schedule and cost goals,” said Steve Dixon, PIP-II conventional facilities manager. “This was especially challenging because the subproject was constructed during the COVID period. Its success was thanks to close coordination between DOE and Fermilab.”
Cristian Boffo, PIP-II project manager, highlighted the role of the subproject model for enhancing efficiency. “Subprojects are a very effective tool in the project management bag that allows for adaptability as the work is underway,” Boffo explained.
The ECF subproject had four focuses: prepping the site by building roads and rebuilding the cooling pond, constructing the cryogenic plant building, installing the isolated cooling loop, and installing the process power transformer.
The subproject received CD-2/3 approvals from the Department of Energy in July 2020, which authorized Fermilab to start site preparation and construction for the cryogenic plant building. Fermilab received official acceptance of the site work in November 2022, and in April 2023, Fermilab celebrated the completion of the cryogenic plant building.
The cryogenic plant is an in-kind contribution by the Department of Atomic Energy in India — the largest of many in-kind contributions to PIP-II by international partners. An essential piece of the cryogenic plant, the coldbox, was constructed by European industry and is currently en route to Fermilab, scheduled to arrive in late December.
“The PIP-II ECF subproject completion is an important step for Fermilab and the Department of Energy, providing a world-class platform for the global high-energy physics community,” said Steven Neus, federal project director for the Fermi Site Office. “It will enable world-leading discovery experiments investigating the fundamental nature of the universe.”
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
Since their establishment in 2020, the five U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Quantum Information Science Research Centers (NQISRCs) have been expanding the frontier of what’s possible in quantum computing, communication, sensing and materials in ways that will advance basic science for energy, security, communication and logistics. The centers have strengthened the national quantum information science (QIS) ecosystem, achieving scientific and technological breakthroughs as well as training the next-generation quantum workforce.
Pictured: SQMS Quantum Garage at Fermilab (Credit: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory)
Led by a DOE national laboratory, each center comprises a collaborative team spanning a broad range of scientific and engineering disciplines. Bringing together national laboratories, universities and tech companies, the centers have developed into a strong community by creating bridges between the world’s top experts in multiple scientific and technological fields. This further enables researchers to solve major cross-cutting challenges in QIS.
Together, they unite more than 1,500 experts across 115 institutions in North America and Europe. The five centers are:
- Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) led by Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Q-NEXT, led by Argonne National Laboratory
- Quantum Science Center (QSC) led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
- Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS) led by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Pictured: Collaborators work at the quantum computing test bed at the Argonne Quantum Foundry. (Credit: Argonne National Laboratory)
In their four years of growth and operation, the NQISRCs have achieved multiple successes in QIS and technology:
- Advanced the fundamental science and understanding of the physics behind quantum devices.
- Enhanced quantum devices, the building blocks of quantum computers and sensors, to record performance levels through innovative materials science.
- Built and deployed new quantum processors and sensors at DOE national labs, universities and industry partners.
- Tailored and designed algorithms to efficiently process data on novel quantum devices while exploring commercial quantum platforms and evaluating the computational capabilities of different hardware at DOE’s quantum testbeds.
- Built unique, cutting-edge facilities and instrumentation to characterize, measure, integrate and use quantum devices, processors and sensors.
- Trained more than 1,000 students and early-career researchers through summer schools, internships and research experiences at facilities affiliated with the centers.
- Launched the U.S. Quantum Information Science Summer School, the first of its kind to facilitate an interconnected quantum ecosystem across academia, national labs and industry to train and grow a quantum-ready workforce.
- Connected over 1,600 job seekers with hiring managers from national labs, academia and industry at the virtual Quantum Information Science Career Fair.
- Unveiled nqisrc.org, a centralized digital home for the five centers. The site outlines the NQISRCs’ scientific accomplishments, research developments, workforce opportunities, and educational and scientific resources.
Pictured: The Quantum Thin Film and Characterization Lab at Oak Ridge National Laboratory where QSC researchers combine molecular beam epitaxy for quantum thin film and heterostructure synthesis with characterization tools to better understand materials at the level of atoms and electrons. This lab is central to the QSC’s efforts to develop quantum material platforms for quantum computing and sensing applications. In this image, Matthew Brahlek, Robert Moore and Qiangsheng Lu are developing topological superconducting materials for quantum computing applications in support of the Quantum Science Center headquartered at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. (Credit: Carlos Jones, Oak Ridge National Laboratory)
In fall 2024, 200 experts from the five centers met to review four years of progress and discuss an expanded vision for the future of QIS. The event fostered collaboration and strengthened cross-center partnerships.
By bringing quantum technologies to a broader set of researchers and users, the centers are fulfilling DOE’s mission to advance science for the benefit of society.
Pictured: As part of this coordinated effort, the Quantum Systems Accelerator and its partners have expanded summer school programs for high school teachers and students, collaborating to share advancements in QIS. Students replicated the classic Young’s double-slit experiment at the 2024 QCaMP in Albuquerque, New Mexico, demonstrating how laser light waves interfere as they pass through two apertures. (Credit: Sandia National Laboratories)
The five NQISRCs have grown into a unique and well-connected network of experts and facilities, which together will be critical to advancing the burgeoning field of QIS in the years ahead.
Commenting on the successes of the NQISRCs, the Department of Energy’s Deputy Director of Science Programs Harriet Kung said, “As we mark four years of extraordinary progress, the five National Quantum Information Science Research Centers are not only continuing to push the boundaries of quantum information science but are building a robust ecosystem that spans academia, national labs and industry. Their groundbreaking work in quantum computing, sensing, communication and materials is shaping the future of technology, security and workforce development in ways that will benefit society and meet DOE’s mission to advance science for the public good.”
Pictured: During the Faculty Outreach for Quantum-Invested UniversitieS (FOQUS), program, participants toured the Quantum Network Facility at Brookhaven Lab. (Credit: Kevin Coughlin, Brookhaven National Laboratory)
The Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center at Fermilab is supported by the DOE Office of Science.
The Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center is one of the five U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Centers. Led by Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, SQMS is a collaboration of more than 30 partner institutions — national labs, academia and industry — working together to bring transformational advances in the field of quantum information science. The center leverages Fermilab’s expertise in building complex particle accelerators to engineer multiqubit quantum processor platforms based on state-of-the-art qubits and superconducting technologies. Working hand in hand with embedded industry partners, SQMS will build a quantum computer and new quantum sensors at Fermilab, which will open unprecedented computational opportunities. For more information, please visit sqmscenter.fnal.gov.
The Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) is one of the five National Quantum Information Science Research Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and with Sandia National Laboratories as lead partner, QSA catalyzes national leadership in quantum information science to co-design the algorithms, quantum devices, and engineering solutions needed to deliver certified quantum advantage in scientific applications. QSA brings together dozens of scientists who are pioneers of many of today’s unique quantum engineering and fabrication capabilities. In addition to industry and academic partners across the world, 15 institutions are part of QSA: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, University of Colorado at Boulder, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Caltech, Duke University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, UC Berkeley, University of Maryland, University of New Mexico, University of Southern California, UT Austin, and Canada’s Université de Sherbrooke. For more information, please visit quantumsystemsaccelerator.org.
Q-NEXT is a U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Center led by Argonne National Laboratory. Q-NEXT brings together world-class researchers from national laboratories, universities and U.S. technology companies with the goal of developing the science and technology to control and distribute quantum information. Q-NEXT collaborators and institutions have established two national foundries for quantum materials and devices, develop networks of sensors and secure communications systems, establish simulation and network test beds, and train the next-generation quantum-ready workforce to ensure continued U.S. scientific and economic leadership in this rapidly advancing field. For more information, visit q-next.org.
The Co-design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA) is one of the five National Quantum Information Science Research Centers funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Led by DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, C2QA aims to overcome the limitations of today’s noisy intermediate-scale quantum computer systems by co-designing quantum materials, devices, and software and algorithms. The C2QA team includes more than 350 researchers from national labs, academia, and industry working together to achieve quantum advantage for scientific computations in high energy, nuclear, chemical and condensed matter physics. For more information, visit www.bnl.gov/quantumcenter.
The QSC, a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center led by ORNL, performs cutting-edge research at national laboratories, universities, and industry partners to overcome key roadblocks in quantum state resilience, controllability, and ultimately the scalability of quantum technologies. QSC researchers are designing materials that enable topological quantum computing; implementing new quantum sensors to characterize topological states and detect dark matter; and designing quantum algorithms and simulations to provide a greater understanding of quantum materials, chemistry, and quantum field theories. These innovations enable the QSC to accelerate information processing, explore the previously unmeasurable, and better predict quantum performance across technologies. For more information, visit qscience.org.
Scientists hope to harness the powers of quantum computers to solve unprecedented problems. Central to this goal is the ability to communicate between the quantum and classical computing worlds. To do so, they must manipulate the signals that travel both worlds to optimize their ability to read the information stored within the quantum bits inside a quantum computer.
To help meet these needs, engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory created the Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit in 2022. QICK is a combination of a radio frequency circuit board, control and readout hardware and open-source software to control it. Today, with more than 350 registered users worldwide, the engineers created a new companion product called “QICK box,” which they are now ready to bring to market.
This lab-in-a-box can help scientists more easily increase signal-to-noise ratio and qubit control by strengthening the amplification and filtering of incoming and outgoing signals. QICK box includes the original QICK system based on a commercial field-programmable gate array board, or FPGA board, and adds a custom front end with all the electronics and cabling.
“Rather than having to buy a vendor board and the dozens of amplifiers, filters and other hardware needed to connect the equipment, scientists can use the QICK box, which has everything built in, is easy to use and optimized,” said Fermilab engineering physicist Sho Uemura, lead QICK software developer and a core member of the QICK development team.
Not only is the QICK box compact and cost effective, it is also flexible. Scientists can tailor the system to their needs, a bit like building a LEGO® system. They can mix and match their radio and lower frequency circuit boards, and their inputs and outputs. They can choose the number and type of additional daughter boards to buy and add them to the main board.
On the path toward an ideal readout and control system
At the heart of the QICK box is the original QICK, comprised of the FPGA, the control and readout hardware and the open-source software. QICK has ultralow noise and low latency and provides a scalable high density of output and input channels. The new custom hardware preserves these features, but also optimizes space and improves accuracy and precision. Recently, the development team rolled out QICK version 2.0 with new software and firmware, adding functionality including a brand-new core processor to improve quantum control.
Though a few companies are creating similar quantum control systems, QICK is different. The QICK team worked closely with the scientific and quantum information science (QIS) research communities to solve specific and challenging problems at their labs. The hardware used is common to many applications, but there is great flexibility in how researchers use it.
“QICK is very powerful because the field of quantum right now is changing so rapidly,” said Travis Humble, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Quantum Science Center, one of five national QIS research centers, and a primary driver of QICK’s early and ongoing development.
“I think QICK is entering that research space where we expect there to be a lot of fluctuation in the hardware design, whereas the other companies are not making the radical changes to development we know the QICK box is capable of. It’s really a different model,” said Humble.
The Fermilab team began developing QICK software and firmware in 2020 in collaboration with University of Chicago researchers. The latter aimed to create and test a controller based on a commercial FPGA board, which is often used in scientific experiments and in quantum computing experiments.
Credit: Ryan Postel, Fermilab
While cutting their teeth on designing an adaptable system over the past few years, the Fermilab team developed a close group of collaborators at institutions including Fermilab, the University of Chicago, and Stanford and Princeton Universities. These collaborators provide real-world quantum applications for QICK and present new ideas for potential functionality. They then test and debug the new features before they are added.
For example, Yale University’s Professor Michael Hatridge and his students are using QICK to explore ways to apply quantum techniques they’ve developed to help producers of larger quantum systems more readily use the technology.
“Our goal is to build a model that shows there are better ways to scale up from simple experiments we can do in the lab with a handful of qubits to larger machines. We need it to be big enough in terms of size to prove our techniques work and unique enough in operation to point to some new ways of thinking how to build quantum computers,” said Hatridge.
“We’re using QICK to be a really high-performance, inexpensive platform that we can add to as needed and to push forward control electronics capabilities for more complicated experiments,” Hatridge added.
Thinking outside the box
Fermilab engineer Gustavo Cancelo, who leads the QICK development and commercialization teams, spent most of the last three-plus decades designing electronics for experiments, not individual users. In such cases, he explains, the experiment is the only customer, and it sets the specifications at the very beginning of the design process. With QICK, it’s different.
“We are trying to commercialize a product for users that develop new ideas every day. When you design a car or a TV, you want most people to use it and like it,” said Cancelo. “So, with QICK, we try hard to think ahead and put in functionality we think users will need in the future. Quantum devices are a moving target. Every new user will bring new ideas for qubits that don’t exist yet.”
In just four years, QICK has evolved from a system used by a few scientists for one specific purpose to one used by hundreds worldwide for a variety of applications. With the addition of the customizable QICK box, the engineering team and its supporters and collaborators believe that it will enable future discoveries in science and quantum information science research.
Companies interested in commercializing the technology should contact Fermilab’s Office of Partnerships and Technology Transfer at optt@fnal.gov. The development of QICK at Fermilab is supported primarily through the lab’s key partnership in the Quantum Science Center, a DOE National Quantum Initiative Science Research Center headquartered at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory is America’s premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. A U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, Fermilab is located near Chicago, Illinois, and operated under contract by the Fermi Research Alliance LLC, a joint partnership between the University of Chicago and the Universities Research Association, Inc. Visit Fermilab’s website and follow us on X/Twitter at @Fermilab.