New funding drives development of next-generation quantum sensors
Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) and Durham University researchers collaborate to massively increase sensor measurement precision.
By Naomi Grosman
Two researchers at the IQC have received $500,000 in funding from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to develop and demonstrate next-generation quantum sensors that are more precise and sensitive than current ones and are set to advance critical sectors like health care, defense, and fundamental science.
First-generation quantum sensors are already being used. One familiar application is the atomic clock, which underpins the global positioning system (GPS). These sensors use our understanding of quantum principles like superposition and energy levels. Next-generation quantum sensors use the principles of entanglement, where multiple particles are made to interact, massively increasing measurement precision.
Alan Jamison, IQC faculty and professor in University of Waterloo’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Alexandre Cooper-Roy, IQC research associate and adjunct professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, are leading the research activities in Canada. They are collaborating with world-renowned scientists at Durham University in the U.K., who received more than $700,000 funding from U.K. Research and Innovation (UKRI).
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"This program is about advancing both fundamental science and practical applications of quantum sensors. This is a real opportunity to impact many industries across Canada. There is a real need to develop next-generation quantum sensors, and we are uniquely qualified to do so, thanks to the advanced infrastructure that we have developed at IQC. Alan and I will be working together to bring these new capabilities to reality."
- Alexandre Cooper-Roy, IQC research associate and adjunct professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy
Cooper-Roy studies Rydberg atoms and Jamison studies ultracold molecules. Each has built a research system to trap and measure their choice of particle. Due to their unique properties, both molecules and atoms can be used to precisely measure electromagnetic fields, and together they aim to develop protocols for quantum sensing using entangled states of atoms and molecules.
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“We are still in the very early stages of learning how to produce and control these highly entangled states. There is a fundamental science aspect just to get to the point where we can reliably prepare and measure these states. There will be applications to other areas of quantum science and technology because producing and maintaining entangled states is difficult.”
- Alan Jamison, IQC faculty and professor in University of Waterloo’s Department of Physics and Astronomy
Jamison is currently working on measurements concerning the origins of matter in the universe, and using next-generation quantum sensors will help advance that research.
Cooper-Roy says advancing the development of quantum sensors has real-world, practical impacts relevant to Canadian industry including disease detection in medicine, submarine detection in defense, and mineral discovery. And receiving this funding shows the direct link between advancing fundamental science and scientific applications that have real-world impact.
“Our platforms are complimentary and enabling, and here at IQC we can show that advanced quantum sensors are not just theory, it’s experimental and based on years of groundwork to establish this ability to contribute to answering these questions,” Cooper-Roy says. “This is how fundamental science can enable real-world applications.”