In the News
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The quest for an ideal quantum bit
From Argonne National Laboratory: Q-NEXT collaborator David Schuster and team create a new qubit platform formed by freezing neon gas into a solid at very low temperatures, spraying electrons from a light bulb’s filament onto the solid, and trapping a single electron there. This system shows great promise to be developed into ideal building blocks for future quantum computers. Read More
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A quantum sense for dark matter
From Science: Quantum sensing can "make it possible to do an experiment in 3 years that would otherwise take thousands of years," says Q-NEXT collaborator Kent Irwin. By harnessing the strange rules of the subatomic realm, quantum sensors could solve one of the universe’s biggest mysteries. Read More
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A quantum of sensing — atomic scale bolsters new sensor boom
From IEEE Spectrum: An emerging generation of quantum sensors lead to new levels of sensitivity, new kinds of applications, and new opportunities to advance a range of fields, technologies, and scientific pursuits. Quantum sensing research by Q-NEXT collaborators David Awschalom, Kent Irwin, Paul Kwiat, Peter Maurer, and others is opening up possibilities in medicine, astrophysics, engineering and tech. Read More
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A mathematical shortcut for determining quantum information lifetimes
From Tohoku University: Having crunched the numbers on the quantum properties of 12,000 elements and compounds, researchers supported by Q-NEXT have published a new equation for approximating the length of time materials can maintain quantum information, called 'coherence time.' Read More
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New hardware created by Stanford team shows a way to develop delicate quantum technologies based on tiny mechanical devices
From Stanford University: By bringing the benefits of mechanical devices into the quantum realm, Stanford researchers aim to create advanced computing and sensing devices. Read More
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UW–Madison, industry partners run quantum algorithm on neutral atom quantum computer for the first time
From the University of Wisconsin–Madison: Researchers have successfully run a quantum algorithm on a type of quantum computer known as a cold atom quantum computer for the first time. The achievement by the team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, ColdQuanta and Riverlane brings quantum computing one step closer to being used in real-world applications. Read More
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Toshiba, Chicago Quantum Exchange partner to activate quantum network between University of Chicago, Argonne National Laboratory
From Toshiba: Toshiba and the Chicago Quantum Exchange announce the launch of a quantum key distribution network link between the University of Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory using Toshiba’s multiplexed QKD units. The link is part of a multinode quantum network being established in the United States. Read More
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Quantum information science initiative bridges fundamental discoveries to future technologies
From the U.S. Department of Energy: The U.S. Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Centers aim to accelerate the transformational advances in fundamental science and quantum-based technology needed to develop world-leading capabilities in quantum information science. Read More
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Wanted: a quantum-ready U.S. workforce
From Forbes: The Chicago Quantum Exchange, one of whose partners is Argonne National Laboratory, is identified as an example of how assertive the U.S. government and academics have been working hand in hand to identify future quantum experts. CQE members were among the leaders of a February workshop to discuss the future of quantum education in the U.S. Read More
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Increasing the accuracy of quantum algorithms
From Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Q-NEXT collaborator Bo Peng and team use the Peeters-Devreese-Soldatov formulation to improve the accuracy of calculations for quantum chemistry. Read More
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David Awschalom wins global Breakthrough of the Year award
David Awschalom, Q-NEXT Chief Science Officer and the Liew Family Professor of Quantum Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago, received the prestigious Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year in Physical Sciences for a pioneering body of work that broke the wall between quantum technology, molecules, and proteins. Read More
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Helium lifts new quantum computing concept
A team led by Jacob Covey, who is part of Q-NEXT and is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago, laid out a new concept that could turn helium’s light weight into the next generation of quantum computers. The design relies on helium-3, an isotope with different quantum properties than the helium-4 used to cool MRI machines and fill party balloons. Once built, the computer could use high-powered lasers as “optical tweezers” to capture and control individual atoms of helium. Read More
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Researchers make materials that support quantum technology
Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who are part of Q-NEXT are engineering material systems that support quantum technology. Chris Anderson and his team are developing materials for quantum transduction — the conversion of quantum information from one form to another. Elizabeth Goldschmidt, Daniel Shoemaker, and colleagues are developing quantum memory technology that stores quantum information for extended periods of time. Read More
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Silicon Chip Offers New Way to Probe Quantum Materials in Strong Magnetic Fields
Scientists have created a silicon chip that can detect the electrical behavior of very small materials by using very high-frequency waves. The chip is made only from silicon and other non-superconducting materials and still performs very well when cooled from room temperature down to about 4 Kelvin. Read More
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Making quantum bits ready to use again much sooner
Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Intel have found that a simple electrical pulse can quickly push a quantum dot qubit out of a latched state and return it to its starting condition with very high reliability. Read More
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Q-NEXT-developed open-source software receives 2026 R&D 100 award
SeQUeNCe, a free, open-source software developed by Argonne scientists with Q-NEXT support, is one of seven Argonne projects that received a 2026 R&D 100 Award. The SeQUeNCe software lets researchers test how quantum networks might work before building them. Read More
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Researchers generate spontaneous magnons that synchronize with external signals
Researchers at Argonne and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign demonstrate a method for generating stable ripples in magnetic materials called magnons. The work opens avenues for information processing in microelectronics and quantum devices. Read More
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Uncovering the hidden disorder in silicon quantum computers
From the U.S. Department of Energy: Q-NEXT researchers map the variation in materials to the atom level to scale up silicon qubits Read More
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Color centers in high-purity diamond
Researchers mapped how electron irradiation makes defects inside diamond, finding that creating more vacancies does not always produce more NV centers. Too many vacancies can form unwanted defects. This result can inform advances in quantum sensing. Read More
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Containing multitudes: SLAC scientist collaborates to create scalable qubits
At SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Q-NEXT collaborator Shannon Harvey develops quantum dots — a mass-producible type of qubit. Driven by curiosity about nature and how things work, Harvey draws on her facility for working at the nanoscale. Read More