US Department of Energy Announces $9.1M in Quantum Funding

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $9.1 million in funding for 13 quantum information science (QIS) projects related to nuclear physics. The research aims to identify, investigate, and comprehend all types of nuclear matter that can exist in the universe, including the quark-gluon plasma that emerged shortly after the Big Bang and the subatomic structure of nucleons.

Quantum sensors rely on specific quantum phenomena to acquire, process and transmit data in significantly more sensitive or capable ways than currently available technologies. Classical computers are far more limited in this capacity as they have no analog to this quantum phenomenon. Thus, researchers aim to solve nuclear physics problems that are currently intractable computationally with the help of quantum computers.

“Although we are just beginning to develop the knowledge and technology needed to power a revolutionary paradigm shift to quantum computing, there is a clear line of sight on how to proceed,” said DOE associate director of science for nuclear physics Tim Hallman.

“These awards will contribute to advancing nuclear physics research and pressing future quantum computing developments forward.”

The quantum computing projects will investigate complex nuclear physics problems using near-term quantum computing platforms. Other projects will develop next-generation materials and architectures for high-coherence superconducting qubits and develop a solid-state quantum simulator for nuclear theory applications. Another will develop more sensitive quantum sensors and improve nuclear decay precision measurements.

The projects were chosen through a competitive DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement called Quantum Horizons: QIS Research and Innovation for Nuclear Science. The DOE has published a list of the awardees and their projects. The total funding for projects lasting up to three years is $9.1 million.