Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Photonic Quantum Networks (PQN)

工程研究中心规划奖助金竞赛是作为ERC计划的试点征集活动进行的。计划拨款并不是整个ERC竞赛的一部分，而是为了在团队之间建立能力，以计划集中的、中心规模的工程研究。该奖项资助了亚利桑那大学及其合作机构斯坦福大学、哈佛大学、马萨诸塞大学阿默斯特分校和西北大学的一项技术规划和汇聚团队演习，该演习将吸引学术界、工业和政府实验室的利益相关者参与。目标是将支持发展第一个可扩展的光子量子网络的元素到位，用于安全通信、量子先进传感和信息处理，为第一个量子互联网铺平道路。规划过程将为从K-12到研究生水平的学生制定一项综合研究和教育计划，重点是在整个项目中纳入不同的观点。规划拨款将支持一个项目，该项目将通过开发量子网络的转型技术来促进知识的发展。一个多功能的量子中继器节点将支持几乎任何需要量子通信或纠缠作为资源的应用，以便与核心光子网络无缝集成。将考虑三个研究方向：量子网络体系结构、系统和网络、量子纳米光子子系统集成以及量子材料、子系统和器件。规划练习将提供早期反馈，以确定系统级目标的关键设备指标的优先顺序，并绘制出以应用为导向的网络设计。将制定一项计划，培训学生在量子信息科学和工程方面取得工业成功、国际技能和系统范围的经验。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers competition was run as a pilot solicitation within the ERC program. Planning grants are not required as part of the full ERC competition, but intended to build capacity among teams to plan for convergent, center-scale engineering research. This award funds an effort by the University of Arizona and its partner institutions Stanford University, Harvard University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Northwestern University for a technical planning and convergent team exercise that will engage stakeholders in academia, industry, and government laboratories. The objective is to put elements in place that will support the development of the first scalable photonic quantum network for secure communications, quantum advanced sensing, and information processing, that paves the way to the first quantum internet. The planning process will develop a plan for an integrated research and education plan for students from k-12 through the graduate level, with a focus on the inclusion of diverse perspectives throughout the project.The planning grant will support a project that will advance knowledge by developing transformational technologies for quantum networks. A versatile quantum repeater node will support virtually any application that requires quantum communication or entanglement as a resource, to be seamlessly integrated with a core photonic network. Three research thrusts will be considered: Quantum Network Architectures, Systems, and Networks, Quantum Nanophotonic Subsystem Integration, and Quantum Materials, Subsystems, and Devices. The planning exercise will provide early feedback to prioritize key device metrics for system-level goals and chart out the applications-driven design of a network. A plan to train students for industrial success, international skills, and systems-wide experience in quantum information science and engineering will be developed.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.