The partnership between INFN and the US research centre dedicated to the development of quantum technologies, SQMS (Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center), has been renewed for another five years. The research centre, hosted by the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia and founded in 2020, was simultaneously funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) with 125 million dollars to be allocated over five years of activity.
SQMS is one of the five US Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Centres and is based on the experience gained in the field of fundamental physics, originally for the development of particle accelerators, in the areas of superconductivity, cryogenics, and the study of innovative materials.
“In only five years, SQMS has transformed the fundamental understanding of quantum technologies into tangible advances: from record-breaking qubit coherence times to the development of new materials and devices that redefine what is possible”, comments Anna Grassellino, Director of the SQMS Center. “This renewal therefore allows us to build on those foundations and make the next leap: to move from discovery to implementation. Together with our partners in laboratories, research centres, universities, and industry, we are ready to bring quantum systems to a level that will allow us to design powerful new tools for science, technology, and society”.
“INFN is proud to be part of the SQMS collaboration, which brings together scientists from different continents in the research and development of quantum technologies that are fundamental for the future of research and of our society”, emphasises Antonio Zoccoli, President of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN). “By combining the strengths of the Italian scientific community in superconducting materials, cryogenics, and fundamental physics, we are accelerating progress towards a deeper understanding of nature and towards new technologies useful for society”.
The SQMS Center will bring together a scientific collaboration of over 300 researchers from 43 institutions, including public research centres, universities, and industries, engaged in developing the next generation of quantum systems for computing, communication, and the design of new detectors. It is a multidisciplinary collaboration that encompasses quantum information science, superconductivity, materials science, cryogenics, microwave engineering, computational science, and high-energy physics.
Working synergistically, this collaboration has already tackled one of the greatest challenges in the field of quantum technologies: extending quantum coherence, that is, the time during which a qubit can reliably maintain information.
Within this international network, INFN has played a key role in the success of the first phase of the SQMS Center, laying the foundations for the second. INFN pioneered the use of quantum sensors in the search for axion-like dark matter. This experimental approach has demonstrated a significant advantage in terms of accelerating the speed at which research is conducted compared to the state of the art of the instrumentation typically used in such experiments.
INFN has also capitalised on the experience acquired through experiments at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories to study the effects of radioactivity on the coherence times of the so-called “transmon qubits”. This research has been fundamental for understanding and mitigating the environmental factors that affect quantum systems. Important theoretical contributions have also been provided in the field of quantum metrology and in the development of quantum computing algorithms, pushing the boundaries of our understanding in these areas as well.
Alongside research and technological development activities, INFN has contributed to the development of the centre’s ecosystem by organising schools on quantum sensing and computing. Among the most significant initiatives are the schools organised at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice and the Galileo Galilei Institute in Arcetri.
“As we enter the second phase of the SQMS Center, the fundamental work of the INFN community, which is preparing to become one of the project’s main partners, together with our expertise and our ongoing collaboration, promises to drive further innovation in quantum science and technology”, concludes Antonio Zoccoli, INFN President.
