University of Chicago
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Simulations reveal the atomic-scale story of qubits
From the University of Chicago: Researchers led by Giulia Galli at the University of Chicago report a computational study that predicts the conditions to create specific spin defects in silicon carbide. Their findings, published online in Nature Communications, represent an important step towards identifying fabrication parameters for spin defects useful for quantum technologies. Read More
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UChicago, IIT Bombay form new science and technology partnership
From the University of Chicago: The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and the University of Chicago announced on Sept. 8 a science and technology partnership to promote cooperation in fields such as quantum information science, climate and energy, advanced microelectronics, artificial intelligence and data science. Read More
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Women of Quantum Technology: Dr. Laura Gagliardi of the University of Chicago
From Inside Quantum Technology: Laura Gagliardi of the University of Chicago and her research team perform quantum chemistry simulations to study renewable energies and predicts chemical systems as potential qubits for the next generation of quantum computers. Gagliardi is also deeply committed to fostering inclusivity in science. Read More
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Quantum quarterbacks: Pritzker’s a ‘geek’ for computing science that Emanuel calls ‘cutting edge of the next generation’
From the Chicago Sun-Times: Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel are working to boost quantum research in Illinois and in Chicago. Governor Pritzker toured quantum labs at the University of Chicago in July and discussed QIS research with Q-NEXT Director David Awschalom and Q-NEXT members Hannes Bernien and Peter Maurer. Read More
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UChicago scientists make new discovery proving entanglement is responsible for computational hardness in quantum systems
From the University of Chicago: In a groundbreaking paper published in Physical Review Letters, a team of scientists led by William Fefferman from the University of Chicago has found a computational problem in which entanglement is directly responsible for a dramatic quantum computational speedup over any efficient classical algorithm. Read More
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Physicist Nadya Mason appointed dean of Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
From the University of Chicago: Experimental physicist Nadya Mason has been appointed dean of the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago, effective Oct. 1, 2023. A highly accomplished academic leader and elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, Mason is the Rosalyn S. Yalow professor of physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she specializes in experimental studies of materials. Read More
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Chicago hopes to become a world center for quantum research
From The Economist: Q-NEXT Director David Awschalom weights in on how Chicago is moving to the forefront of the quantum industry. Chicago’s strength in quantum research in part goes back to its days at the center of research into the nuclear industry. Argonne National Laboratory opened in 1946 as a hub for research into nuclear power. Today, Illinois generates more electricity from nuclear power than any other state. And it was the visionary thinking by Robert Zimmer, a former president of the University of Chicago, that was responsible the city’s more recent quantum leap. Read More
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Hannes Bernien receives NSF CAREER award to unlock potential of quantum networks
From the University of Chicago: Hannes Bernien has been awarded a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award by the National Science Foundation for his proposal to construct and connect quantum network nodes through quantum entanglement. Read More
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U of C to develop quantum supercomputer with Google, IBM and University of Tokyo
From the Chicago Tribune: The University of Chicago has formed a partnership with Google, IBM and the University of Tokyo to develop a supercomputer powered by quantum technology. IBM pledged $100 million toward the project, and Google is to spend $50 million, on technology that could transform computing and information networks. Quantum computing, which is in its infancy, potentially could solve complex problems quickly, beyond the ability of conventional computing. Read More
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University of Chicago gets quantum tech funding from IBM, Google
From Bloomberg: The University of Chicago will partner with IBM and Google in deals totaling as much as $150 million aimed toward the development of quantum computing. IBM’s vision centers on a quantum-centric supercomputer. The company will develop blueprints with the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo over 10 years in a plan valued at $100 million. The partnership between the universities and Google will invest as much as $50 million toward accelerating the creation of a fault-tolerant quantum computer and developing the quantum workforce over 10 years. 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