THE COMPUTER OF THE FUTURE IS A QUANTUM COMPUTER: ITALY PART OF THE US QUANTUM COMPUTING PROJECT
Interview with Anna Grassellino, Director of the Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS) and researcher at Fermilab in Chicago.

Harness quantum properties to create a computer and sensors with unmatched performance. Over the next five years, this will be the main mission of the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center (SQMS), a research center coordinated by Fermilab (Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory), which at the end of August was awarded $115 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the National Quantum Initiative. A goal for the pursuit of which SQMS will be called on to overcome the technological and scientific challenges that are inherent in the innovative quantum information sector, starting from those concerning the development and construction of superconductive materials capable of extending the average life time of qubits, the units based on which quantum computers work. The role played by INFN will also be fundamental to achieve such goals. Thanks to a contribution of $1.5 million, INFN will collaborate in the initiative by providing its skills and capabilities, recognised worldwide, in the fields of theoretical physics and the development of precision sensors, and through the construction of a test facility for the validation of quantum devices at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories. Coordinating the activities of the project is SQMS Director Anna Grassellino*, an Italian researcher at Fermilab, who started her career at INFN.

What objectives has SQMS set itself?
SQMS has two main objectives and they are related to the two main research areas of the center, which are computing and sensing. The first objective is to build a quantum computer that performs better than similar computers built so far. The second concerns the implementation of sensors that exploit the progress we expect to achieve with quantum superconductive technologies for the search for dark matter or elusive particles such as dark photons. ...

RESEARCH

AUGER MEASURES THE ENERGY SPECTRUM OF ULTRA-HIGH ENERGY COSMIC RAYS

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INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

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GRANT

ERC: STARTING GRANT OF ALMOST 1.5 MILLION EUROS FOR THE SEARCH FOR DARK MATTER WITH THE POKER PROJECT

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RESEARCH

VIRGO AND LIGO DISCOVER NEW AND UNEXPECTED BLACK HOLE POPULATIONS

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RESEARCH

A CHALLENGE TO QUANTUM MECHANICS FROM ITALIAN RESEARCH

Last September 7, the journal Nature Physics published a theoretical and experimental study carried out by a team of researchers from the Enrico Fermi Research Centre, INFN and the University of Trieste. The publication presents the results of research dedicated to verification of the quantum collapse model proposed by Lajos Diósi and Roger Penrose (DP model). The measurement phase was conducted at the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratories, while the theoretical analysis was coordinated by the University of Trieste. ...

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APPLICATIONS

CLOSE UP ON RAPHAEL: RESULTS OF THE SURVEY CAMPAIGN ON THE FORNARINA PRESENTED

The results of the survey campaign on the Raphael's Fornarina, carried out from January 28 to 30 using innovative techniques and cutting-edge machinery, followed by months of in-depth study and historical and scientific evaluation of the data acquired, were presented on September 21 at the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Palazzo Barberini. The day's proceedings featured INFN, the Barberini Corsini National Galleries, the Cultural Heritage Conservation (CBC) social cooperative and ENEA. ...

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