Leading the quantum revolution

Once considered a technology of tomorrow, quantum devices are transforming fields including communication, research and geological exploration in the here and now.

New technologies that operate according to the laws of quantum mechanics, are rapidly moving from the laboratory to the marketplace. The real-world application of quantum devices was the subject of a University of Waterloo-led symposium on Sunday at an international meeting of scientists, policymakers and science media in Chicago, IL.

Moderated by Raymond Laflamme, executive director of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), the session at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science explored the current and short-term potential application of quantum technologies, including quantum cryptography, quantum electronics and quantum sensors.

“This meeting is really about discovery to innovation,” Laflamme, a professor of physics in the Faculty of Science, said in introducing the session. Quantum mechanics allow scientists to solve problems that seem intractable using the traditional laws of physics.

Laflamme — whose vision for IQC is the creation of a universal quantum computer — has already successfully commercialized quantum technology in the form of a photon detector that enables quantum laboratories around the world to more accurately detect and count photons.

Other cutting-edge research underway at Waterloo includes quantum sensors and actuators being developed in the lab of Canada Excellence Research Chair David Cory. These sensors have the potential to reach the highest sensitivity, efficiency and selectivity that nature allows, said Cory, a member of the Institute for Quantum Computing and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, as well as a professor of chemistry in the Faculty of Science.

 “Quantum mechanics is totally outside of your experience,” Cory said. “So, if you think about something you never thought could happen, maybe there’s a chance.”

Cory described how applying quantum mechanics creates sensors with capabilities far beyond sensors designed according to the laws of classical physics — the physics of Einstein, Newton and Galileo.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) involves quantum mechanics, but at current measures only water. Quantum scientists, including Cory, are working towards sensors that will measure biochemistry, not just water. Related uses include sensors that would improve oil exploration or carbon monoxide detection.

Also participating in the panel were Gregoire Ribordy, is chief executive officer of IDQuantique, and Michel Devoret, a professor of applied physics at Yale University.

IDQuantique is a commercial venture working to develop the next generation of quantum-safe infrastructure. The company is a spin-off of the University of Geneva in Switzerland, and now offers commercial quantum cryptography solutions and related quantum photonics technologies in over 60 countries, used in information security, gaming and other applications, Ribordy said.

Devoret explained how the rapid miniaturization of electronics has led to the development of superconducting quantum electronics — quantronics — which are already changing fields including measurement and photodetection. Recent discoveries involving circuits that act as artificial atoms and molecules have the potential to serve as modules for quantum information memory and processing.

Session organizer Martin Laforest, senior manager of scientific outreach at the Institute for Quantum Computing, said the aim of the symposium was to share cutting-edge innovations in quantum technologies, including quantum cryptography, quantum electronics and quantum sensors with the broader scientific community.

“Innovative technologies, including the laser, transistor and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) already rely on our world operating with quantum mechanics, but a new, more powerful quantum revolution is underway," Laforest said. 

“Quantum technologies are no longer science fiction. Patents are being filed, venture capital funds focused on quantum technology are appearing and spin-off companies are being created as quantum technologies transition from the laboratories to the market place.”