University of Chicago
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Longer lasting erbium-based qubits
Researchers create a method for growing erbium-doped thin films that allow them to be practically integrated into quantum communication devices. Read More
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How quantum computing could help us understand the universe
From PBS NewsHour: David Awschalom appears in this piece on the next generation of computing, one that will be far more sophisticated and dependent on understanding the subatomic nature of the universe. Read More
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PME-led research into protein-based qubits earns $2.75M Moore Foundation grant
Bolstered by a new $2.75 million grant from the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, a team led by University of Chicago's Peter Maurer will soon study qubits made from protein. Read More
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Optimizing the spin of nitrogen vacancy centers
Scientists create a theoretical model to improve the performance of nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond, a type of qubit that is promising for quantum communication and sensing. Read More
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Resurrecting niobium for quantum science
For years, niobium was considered an underperformer when it came to superconducting qubits. Now scientists supported by Q-NEXT have found a way to engineer a high-performing niobium-based qubit and so take advantage of niobium’s superior qualities. Read More
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Creating correlations between photons and superconducting quantum circuits
Scientists use a chip-scale "quantum transducer" to create nonclassical correlations between pairs of photons in an optical link and a remote superconducting quantum circuit, a precursor to more advanced quantum networks. Read More
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Magnon dynamics and nitrogen vacancy centers
Scientists demonstrate a connection between nanoscale magnetic waves in a vortex mode and atomic quantum sensors in diamond, opening possibilities for quantum sensing. Read More
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Better materials for quantum memories
Rare-earth ions on solid materials are promising for quantum communication. Researchers grow oxide thin films doped with erbium in varying concentrations and measured key features relevant for quantum memories. Read More
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Controlling quantum signals through 2D resonators
Millimeter-wave superconducting resonators are handy for studying how well quantum devices work at higher frequencies, and a team has built a setup to measure these resonant circuits, providing better control over experiments. Read More
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New research unites quantum engineering and artificial intelligence
From the University of Chicago: University of Chicago’s Liang Jiang, Argonne’s Yuri Alexeev and team demonstrate how incorporating quantum computing into the classical machine learning process has the potential to bring greater sustainability and efficiency to machine learning. 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