The United States and United Kingdom are sharing expertise and capabilities in the blossoming field of quantum information science across the pond. This new partnership between the countries will lead to new quantum devices, insights into their performance, ways to harness quantum information and discoveries in fundamental physics.
Research will be conducted under the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, with the United Kingdom’s National Physical Laboratory and Royal Holloway, University of London. With the additional institutions, the SQMS Center collaboration now totals 28 partners.
From left to right: Marius Hegedus, Tobias Lindstrom and Alexander Tzalenchuk stand outside the door to Quantum Computing Lab-3 during their visit to SQMS Center’s headquarters on Fermilab’s campus. Photo: SQMS Center
These new additions to the SQMS Center are rooted in goals to increase cooperation in the field of quantum information science between the U.S. and U.K. governments. These goals were set in a November 2021 joint statement that emphasizes the importance of growing an ecosystem of international partners with shared values. The statement also highlights the impact of quantum technology on global health security, climate change and efficient resource use.
“Our new U.K. partners bring unique characterization techniques that complement the SQMS Center’s strengths,” said Anna Grassellino, director of the SQMS Center. “This partnership advances the center’s mission of identifying and overcoming fundamental obstacles that interfere with quantum device performance, while also finding ways to use quantum devices to harness quantum information and perform physics and sensing experiments.”
New investigations
Quantum information science seeks to harness the behavior of quantum mechanics to process information in new ways, develop ultra-sensitive detectors and much more.
Under these new partnerships, researchers will investigate the following: losses of quantum information in quantum computing devices, new systems based on quantum technologies to search for new particles, new quantum algorithms, and the performance and fundamental limits of quantum computers.
“The areas the SQMS Center focuses on are building high-quality superconducting qubits and looking at ways in which this will scale for both quantum computing and fundamental physics,” said Sir Peter Knight, chair of the U.K. National Quantum Technologies Programme and SQMS Center advisory board member.
Scientists will use quantum computers to manipulate qubits — the basic building block of information used by quantum computers — to perform calculations that would be practically impossible for classical computers when the machines are fully realized.
“Superconducting qubits can be used as a quantum computing engine, but equally in the other direction for dark matter detection,” said Knight. “Quantum has become a major part of the scientific adventure that everybody wants to participate in, and SQMS is going to be a beacon of getting stuff done. NPL and RHUL researchers are excited to become collaborative SQMS Center partners.”
Cutting-edge capabilities
Quantum devices need to be cooled down to prevent information from being obscured or lost by noise produced by heat. Making devices ultra-cold might lead to better device performance and new insights on how quantum devices behave and operate.
RHUL performs cutting-edge research in quantum and hosts the London Low Temperature Laboratory. Researchers at RHUL have experience cooling quantum devices down to the microkelvin range, or millionths of degrees kelvin. This temperature regime is much colder than where researchers typically operate devices, which are the millikelvin range or thousandth degrees kelvin.
“What my group brings to the table is expertise in low-temperature physics into the microkelvin regime,” said John Saunders, a professor at RHUL and SQMS Center advisory board member. “For approximately the last 10 years, we’ve been working on developing new low-temperature platforms and working on cooling down quantum circuits and quantum materials to the lowest possible temperatures. We are very interested in cooling them down to ultra-low temperatures to see how they behave,” said Saunders.
This expertise in low temperatures complements the National Physical Laboratory’s capabilities. The National Physical Laboratory serves a similar function as the United States’ National Institute of Standards and Technology, both of which perform precision measurements to maintain measurement standards for their respective countries. NIST is also a core partner within the SQMS Center.
“Quantum has become a major part of the scientific adventure that everybody wants to participate in, and SQMS is going to be a beacon of getting stuff done.” – Sir Peter Knight, chair of the U.K. National Quantum Technologies Programme
“As the NPL head of science for quantum technologies, I lead a team of about 100 scientists working on various aspects of computing, sensing, communications, metrology, and materials,” said Alexander Tzalenchuk, the SQMS Center principal investigator for NPL. “In particular, we strive to understand and mitigate noise in superconducting circuits, which affects their ‘quantumness.’ We also work on algorithms and developing technologies that enable scalable quantum computing in the future. This formal collaboration is one of the first examples where the two countries can work together on closely aligned projects, which is enabled by the joint statement.”
“We want to make quantum technologies viable in order to provide new tools and capabilities that benefit our national initiative as well as, more broadly, the world,” said Abid Patwa, program manager for SQMS in DOE’s Office of High Energy Physics. “We need to learn more about the fundamental aspects of QIS, such as cryogenics, and to understand the underlying mechanisms that currently limit quantum computing devices.
“The United Kingdom continues to be an excellent partner to the United States and has the expertise as well as the essential resources to test and build on the QIS fundamentals,” said Patwa. “These efforts will further advance our insights in quantum research to enable this emerging technology.”
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 28 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.
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.
This afternoon at 1:09 p.m., a contracted construction worker sustained injuries as a result of a fall at Fermilab’s PIP II construction area of the Batavia campus. The Fermilab fire department was dispatched immediately. A medical helicopter transported the individual to the nearest trauma center.
Fermilab officials are on site. Details of the accident are not available at this time.
Stefano Miscetti, a scientist from the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics, or INFN, has been elected as co-spokesperson for the upcoming Mu2e experiment (pronounced mew-to-e), which will be situated at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Miscetti and co-spokesperson Robert Bernstein from Fermilab will advance this experiment into the commissioning phase.
Stefano Miscetti from INFN will help advance the Mu2e experiment toward the commissioning phase as its newly elected co-spokesperson. Photo: INFN LNF Education and Public Outreach Service
The Mu2e collaboration brings together more than 200 people from 38 institutions across six countries to build a particle accelerator-based experiment to observe an ultra-rare subatomic process. In this process, a muon, a fundamental particle in the same family as the electron but with more mass, would directly convert into an electron without energy being carried away by fundamental particles called neutrinos. Less than one-in-1,000-billion muons produced by Mu2e will directly convert into an electron if this muon-to-electron process actually occurs in nature.
A big journey for tiny particles
Fermilab’s particle accelerator complex will produce a beam of protons that will collide with a tungsten target and create a cascade of particles, many of which researchers expect will decay into muons.
An “S”-shaped, 82-foot-long system of superconducting solenoids — rings of superconducting wire that create a strong magnetic field when electric current flows effortlessly through their wires — will sort negatively charged muons from positive ones.
This system will also transport and focus the muons toward an aluminum target. The muons will get trapped in the aluminum. They then will decay into electrons and neutrinos, or hopefully, some will decay directly into electrons.
The electrons will emerge from the aluminum trap and leap toward an advanced three-part detector that will measure the electrons’ momentum and energy. The detector will provide a clear signal of a muon-to-electron conversion, while vetoing cosmic rays that interfere with the signal.
The commissioning phase and beyond
“After over 10 years of work and seven years since the start of construction, the experiment is now in an advanced realization stage,” said Miscetti. “The solenoidal system is now very close to completion, the detectors have most of the components built, the experiment’s mechanics are assembled and electronics are being produced.”
These systems were constructed worldwide, with significant contributions from Italy. About 15% of the collaboration is affiliated with INFN, which has played a major role in designing and constructing the transport solenoid’s superconducting coils. INFN has also played a significant role in designing and constructing a part of the detector called the calorimeter.
“I’m delighted that Stefano has taken on this responsibility,” said Bernstein. “He is the leader of our calorimeter team, a central member of the experiment and a terrific person to work with. Italy and INFN are essential to the success of Mu2e, and they deserve a formal role in the leadership. I am excited to work with him to get Mu2e our first physics data.”
During commissioning, the team will first place all the components for the experiment in the Mu2e hall where they will be assembled into the full experiment. Researchers will then create vacuum conditions inside the experiment and turn on all the components without the beam. It will first detect cosmic rays, or particles from space. When everything is ready, the team will activate the beam of muons and check that everything works as expected.
“The next two years will be important to see the solenoids and detectors fill the Mu2e hall on Fermilab’s campus to start data taking for real. I am excited to participate in this fundamental step in my new role,” said Miscetti.
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.
Public message from the Fermilab director on Fermilab access
Dear colleagues and friends of Fermilab,
Fermilab has a tradition of being open and welcoming to staff, users, the scientific community, and residents of surrounding communities. This is who we are, and we are proud of this culture of openness. We have focused on executing our science mission through partnerships and are committed to maintaining this collaborative spirit.
At the same time, we are responsible for the safety of everyone who spends time on the Fermilab campus, as well as the security of our operations. Fermilab operates the largest accelerator complex in the United States, and that work comes with potential hazards across our campus. Furthermore, we manage a large amount of non-public information, and we take the responsibility of protecting that information very seriously. Fermilab’s personnel and research collaborators undergo special training on these hazards and challenges.
To protect our workforce, users, visitors, and the laboratory’s assets, Fermilab has implemented several restrictions to access, which most other national laboratories have already successfully implemented. We recognize that some people are frustrated with these changes, and we are working to find the balance between the necessary restrictions and the openness we pride ourselves on. In this note, I will describe the challenges, what we are doing about them, and where we want to be in the future. What is put forward here represents complete alignment with DOE and the leadership of Fermilab.
Visitors and the public are welcome to come to the lab campus to walk, bike, walk your dog, see the bison or tour the Lederman Science Center with proper identification. Photo: Fermilab
DOE’s new requirements over the past decade and Fermilab’s actions
Changes on the world stage and our continuously advancing science mission affect Fermilab’s safety and security posture. As a federal institution, Fermilab is required to implement federal regulations and U.S. Department of Energy requirements that have been established for all DOE National Laboratories. It is our responsibility to effectively integrate these risk management controls into our mission execution, and to communicate these new practices to our internal and external stakeholders. Like other similar labs, we want to strike a balance between safe and secure operations and a welcoming environment for our scientific and community partners.
For example, DOE has provided nearly $13 million of additional funding to facilitate site visitor access and reopen Wilson Hall to the public. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed these efforts, but we are on track to complete the Wilson Hall modifications this year and a new Fermilab Welcome and Access Center in late 2024 or early 2025.
Fermilab’s status today
Today, Fermilab is pleased to continue to welcome onto the Fermilab campus public visitors showing proper identification for site access. The Batavia and Warrenville gates are open for walkers, bikers, dog walkers, and visitors to enjoy the campus, visit our bison (we have 16 new babies so far this year!), tour the science experiments and displays in the Lederman Science Center, and hike our restored prairie trails. Earlier this year, Saturday Morning Physics and other STEM activities resumed in the Ramsey Auditorium. We invested into a new welcoming badging office at the entrance of the Wilson Hall and began critical work to improve the IT systems that support and streamline the new processes. The lab’s site access requirements can be found on the website.
Our vision for the future
DOE and Fermilab leadership are committed to facilitating public access to areas of Wilson Hall as soon as security modifications are complete. We are actively working to streamline how our collaborators, visitors, and the public can access our site in a safe and welcoming way, and to clearly and frequently provide updates. We are learning from other National Laboratories that have implemented these requirements over many years. We have also established an internal task force comprised of employees and users to expedite the implementation and strengthen the communication. We are in the process of simplifying the collection of information needed for entry and increasing the transparency of the process. In the coming weeks and months, we will be seeking input on strategy and changes to ensure safe access for all groups, leveraging many of our existing forums including the Community Advisory Board and User Committees.
We are deeply committed to our culture of openness, and we are also deeply committed to the safety of our employees, subcontractors, users, affiliates, visitors, and neighbors and to the security and stewardship of the world-class facilities, infrastructure, and data at the lab.
Thank you for sharing your views with me – I hear you, and I ask you to please be patient as we work on these important improvements. The dedication and concerns openly expressed by the Fermilab community (including our employees, partners, and neighbors) are a good example of what makes Fermilab a truly remarkable institution.
With best regards,
Lia Merminga