PIRE: Hybrid Materials for Quantum Science and Engineering (HYBRID)

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PI: Sergey Frolov (University of Pittsburgh)co-PIs: Michael Hatridge (University of Pittsburgh)David Pekker (University of Pittsburgh)Hrvoje Petek (University of Pittsburgh)Non-technical abstractA future quantum computer will unlock revolutionary computing powers based on the principles of quantum superposition and entanglement. However, any computer is only as good as the materials it is built from: for instance, the success of our present day computers is due to the remarkable properties of silicon which can be crafted into processors. This PIRE will establish a multidisciplinary partnership between universities, research centers and corporations in the U.S. and France, led by the University of Pittsburgh. The aim of the partnership is the discovery and investigation of materials that hold exceptional promise for fundamental quantum physics and quantum device engineering. In particular, the focus will be on hybrid materials which combine disparate materials kinds, such as semiconductors and superconductors, in a single structure. Hybrid materials are as diverse as nanowires and atom-thick sheets, with atomically sharp interfaces between one material and the other. This PIRE program will bring together materials engineers, surface scientists, computational chemists, and experimental and theoretical physicists. The approach will extend from crystal growth to fabrication and testing of quantum devices based on newly synthesized materials, guided and aided by theoretical and computational studies. U.S. and French students will receive quantum technology training in the multicultural and multidisciplinary environment of the project.Technical abstractDue to the inherent fragility of quantum information, the materials requirements for quantum computers are more stringent than for classical computers. Furthermore, new physical phenomena may need to be discovered and mastered before a practical quantum computer can be built. The primary research goal of this PIRE is the discovery of new hybrid materials and the search for emergent phenomena that can only be realized at hybrid interfaces. Hybrid materials are those which combine layers of dissimilar material classes, such as superconductors and semiconductors. This partnership will focus on a diverse universe of hybrid materials including nanowires, van der Waals heterostructures and two-dimensional epitaxial interfaces. The approach will extend from in-situ observation of crystal growth to low temperature measurements of quantum devices based on these materials, guided by first-principles and mesoscopic theory studies. Two-dimensional materials will be primarily pursued in the U.S., while one-dimensional materials will be the focus in France. Scalability of quantum architectures comprising thousands of quantum bits demands a precise understanding of and control over the materials that will comprise quantum circuits. Interfacing superconductors with semiconductors may pave the way to realizing such large-scale quantum circuits by combining the virtues of both, namely the electrical tunability of semiconductors with the long coherence times observed in superconductors. Superconductor/semiconductor interfaces are also the basis for proposed fault tolerant qubits encoded in topologically protected quantum states immune to local noise. Undergraduate, graduate students and postdocs from U.S. will perform research visits to France and participate in international research projects that will take advantage of unique research infrastructure and a well-established International Internship Program in Grenoble. Laboratories in the US will welcome French students for reciprocal visits. Summer schools and online courses on the frontier subjects in materials science and quantum computing will be organized for the junior researchers in the program.