Chiral Quantum Networks

该研究项目将科学家和工程师聚集在一起，研究对量子信息处理技术很重要的材料中的原子自旋和声波。通过了解如何在物理系统中设计和使用拓扑，该项目将直接解决应用物理和工程中的一个重大挑战，即：如何控制系统中的量子信息流。本研究的目的是预测、实现和优化芯片上量子激发的手性和螺旋路径。由此产生的以非互反方式控制声子传输（固体中振动模式的量子力学激发）的能力，以及控制声子和嵌入量子比特（量子力学自旋）之间传播方向依赖的相互作用的能力，将有助于量子通信系统和量子计算的量子网络的发展。该项目还将促进新一代科学家和工程师的教育和培训，他们将为未来的应用开发量子电子学和声学技术。本研究的重点是观察声波在磁性、时域调制、自旋耦合和非线性介质中的手性和拓扑非平凡传播。本项目将从理论上和实验上阐明无序、耗散和非线性对手性和拓扑电磁和机械激励性质的影响。研究固态系统中缺陷的自旋与0D、1D和2D声波的耦合将促进对发射器如何与其环境相互作用的理解。特别是，它将通过基态自旋展示声子的手性发射，这将探索各种机械谐振器和波导几何形状，以实现强自旋声子相互作用。长期愿景是了解声子手性网络的概念如何帮助开发具有耦合发射器的量子控制和传感的新体制。在整个项目中开发的工程专业知识将有助于开发紧凑、低损耗、超低功耗、非互易放大器、转换器和量子滤波器。通过将来自不同领域的科学家聚集在一起，例如光子学、光力学和钻石，这个团队将通过使用混合方法来展示新的波传播现象，从而迎接基本挑战。该项目在教育、培训和扩大参与方面做出了广泛的努力，以加强能够开发量子技术的劳动力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research program brings together scientists and engineers to work with atomic spins and acoustic waves in materials that are important for quantum information processing technologies. By understanding how topology can be engineered and used in physical systems, this project will directly address a grand challenge in applied physics and engineering, namely: how to control the flow of quantum information in a system. The objective of this research is to predict, realize, and optimize chiral and helical routing of quantum excitations on a chip. The resulting ability to control the transport of phonons (quantum mechanical excitations of vibrational modes in solids) in a nonreciprocal manner, and the ability to control the propagation-direction-dependent interaction between phonons and embedded qubits (quantum mechanical spins), will aid in the development of quantum networks for quantum communications systems and quantum computing. This project will also promote the education and training of a new generation of scientists and engineers who will develop quantum electronics and phononics technology for future applications. This research is focused on observing chiral and topologically nontrivial propagation of acoustic waves in magnetic, time-domain modulated, spin-coupled, and nonlinear media. This project will clarify theoretically and experimentally the effects of disorder, dissipation, and nonlinearity on the properties of chiral and topological electromagnetic and mechanical excitations. Research on coupling the spin of a defect in a solid-state system to 0D, 1D and 2D acoustic waves will advance the understanding of how an emitter can interact with its environment. In particular, it will demonstrate chiral emission of phonons by ground state spins, and this will explore a variety of mechanical resonator and waveguide geometries in which to realize strong spin-phonon interactions. The longer-term vision is to understand how concepts of phononic chiral networks can help develop new regimes for quantum control and sensing with coupled emitters. The engineering expertise developed throughout this program will be instrumental in developing compact, low-loss, ultra-low power, nonreciprocal amplifiers, converters and filters in the quantum regime. By bringing together scientists from different fields, e.g., photonics, optomechanics, and diamond, this team will meet the fundamental challenge of demonstrating novel wave propagation phenomena by using a hybrid approach. This project features an extensive effort on education, training, and broadening participation, in order to strengthen the workforce that can develop quantum technologies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.